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Three Heads of Camels. From the "Heads of Various Animals" Series

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-913
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Three Heads of Camels. From the "Heads of Various Animals" Series
Country: France
Technique: etching
Material: paper
Dimensions: 11.8 x 15 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: animal painting
Provenance: Received from the Lviv Historical Museum, 1954

Information about author

Author: Stefano della Bella
Author in the original: Stefano della Bella
Artist's lifetime: 1610–1644
Country: Italy
Biography: Stefano della Bella (Italian: Stefano della Bella; 1610, Florence – 1664, ibid.). A prominent Italian artist, engraver and etcher of the Early Baroque period, Stefano della Bella was one of the most prolific European printmakers of the 17th century. Following the untimely death of his father, the youth began training in a goldsmith's workshop. Around 1623, he moved to the workshop of the engraver Orazio Vanni, where he mastered the basic techniques of printmaking. Later, he refined his etching technique in the workshop of Remigio Cantagallina – the mentor of the famous French master Jacques Callot. Copying Callot's works significantly influenced the formation of della Bella's own refined artistic style.
During this same period, the artist secured the patronage of the Medici family, who supported him throughout his life. In 1633–1639, funded by his primary patron, Prince Lorenzo de' Medici (uncle of Ferdinand de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany), the artist lived and studied in Rome. There, he immediately received major commissions and made numerous sketches of park ensembles, villas, palaces and ancient ruins, which he later incorporated into his engravings.In Rome, della Bella met the French printmakers Israel Henriet and François Langlois, thanks to whom he moved to Paris in 1639. In France, the artist quickly achieved immense popularity, establishing close and successful collaborations with them, as well as with the leading Parisian publisher Pierre Mariette. His etchings were in high demand among European collectors. In 1650, due to anti-Italian unrest in France (the Fronde), the engraver returned to his native Florence. During this late period, he significantly diversified his favourite themes, creating a series of hunting scenes, landscapes with Roman ruins and detailed depictions of horsemen.
Over his lifetime, Stefano della Bella created more than a thousand unique etchings and thousands of drawings. He worked across battle, landscape, animal, ornamental and genre scenes, capturing the events of his time with documentary precision – from the lavish theatrical pageants of the Florentine nobility to the harsh realities of the Thirty Years' War and the everyday street life of European cities. He became famous for his jewelry-fine, filigree-detailed miniature works.

Object description

The work comes from the "Heads of Various Animals" series, created by the artist between 1641–1649 after his arrival in Paris. The first publisher of della Bella's prints was Pierre Mariette – a well-known Parisian publisher and art dealer.
The print is executed in the animalist genre, blending elements of Baroque dynamics with the artist's characteristic refinement of line. The sheet depicts three meticulously detailed heads of domesticated Bactrian camels in various angles, wearing bridles on their muzzles. On the left is a camel's head in profile. The artist masterfully renders the thick, wavy fur on the animal's head and neck. The central head is distinguished by a high crest and a dense, curly "cap" of fur on the crown. The animal is shown in a three-quarter view to the right. Thanks to fine hatching, the texture of the coat and the volume of the muzzle are masterfully conveyed. The head of the third camel is turned in profile to the left, creating a dynamic visual dialogue between all three images.
Through a subtle play of light and shadow (chiaroscuro) and various types of hatching – from short lines to long, flowing strokes – the master achieves a nearly tactile realism in conveying the fur and anatomical characteristics of the animals.

Inscriptions

At the bottom of the print on the left: "Stefano della Bella fecit. P. Mariette ex. cum Privilegio Regis", on the right: "1" (the artist's print number). On the backing cardboard on the left beneath the sheet, a sticker with the stamp of the Lviv Historical Museum and the former print inventory number in ink: "Г-4690/86", and above it in pencil, the current gallery collection inventory number: "№ Г-IV-913/ ЛДКГ". Pencil marks on the backing cardboard to the left of the sheet: "54", on the right: "93".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Three Heads of Camels. From the "Heads of Various Animals" Series

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