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Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome. From the "Various Views, Both Imaginary and From Life" Series

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-943
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome. From the "Various Views, Both Imaginary and From Life" Series
Country: Italy
Technique: etching
Material: paper
Dimensions: 21.2 x 35.6 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: architectural landscape
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 centre of the composition depicts Castel Sant'Angelo – a monumental fortress in Rome, originally constructed as a mausoleum for Emperor Hadrian and his family (135–139). The structure is shown in its historical seventeenth-century appearance, surrounded by powerful fortification walls, bastions, and towers. At the summit of the castle, on a high flagpole, a large papal flag flutters. On both sides of the building, plumes of smoke are visible – likely an artistic rendering of an artillery or cannon salute. Leading to the right from the castle is the Ponte Sant'Angelo with its characteristic arches – the historical Aelian Bridge. It connects the fortress with the opposite bank of the River Tiber. On the right bank, between the river and the urban area, a wooden structure is depicted. This may be a river mill or a pier where boats are moored. On the left bank of the Tiber, from which the panorama opens, the artist has included staffage human figures. To the left rise sprawling trees, in the shade of which elegantly attired townspeople stroll – women in long dresses and travellers.
Through fine lines, dense cross-hatching, and a masterful distribution of light and shade (chiaroscuro), the artist successfully conveys the materiality of the stone, the texture of the clouds, the lightness of the smoke, and the dynamics of the river flow.

Inscriptions

In the centre beneath the image, there is an inscription: "CASTELLO S’[...] ANGELO". At the bottom left beneath the image, the artist's signature is engraved: "SDBella". At the bottom right of the backing cardboard, there is a sticker with the seal and stamp of the Lviv Historical Museum, with the number "1445" written in ink. In pencil on the left: "2622", "№ Г-IV-943/ЛДКГ", on the right: "114".
At the top right in pencil, the inscription "De Vesme 818." is indicated. This is the catalogue number from the fundamental raisonné catalogue by Alexandre de Vesme, published in 1906, which systematises the artistic heritage of Stefano della Bella.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome. From the "Various Views, Both Imaginary and From Life" Series

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