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Two Peasant Women and a Herd of Cattle Crossing a River. From the "Six Animal Subjects" Series

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-945
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Two Peasant Women and a Herd of Cattle Crossing a River. From the "Six Animal Subjects" Series
Country: France
Technique: etching
Material: paper
Dimensions: 14.2 x 14 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: genre art
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 composition of the work is inscribed within a tondo on a rectangular sheet. It presents a pastoral scene typical of the seventeenth century – the crossing of livestock through a shallow mountain stream. In the foreground, amidst the current, two peasant women in traditional attire are depicted wading across the river. One of the women, turned with her back to the viewer, firmly holds a child in her arms. To her right walks a second peasant woman with a load upon her shoulders. To the left and ahead of them, a small herd moves. The artist highlights two cows standing in the water in close-up with anatomical precision, while other animals of the herd are visible slightly further in the background. The action unfolds against the backdrop of a wild, rugged landscape. Behind them rise hills and rocky mountains covered with sparse vegetation and shrubs. The open sky occupies the upper half of the circle, creating a sense of space.
Through fine hatching of varying density, the master virtuously conveys the shimmering and fluidity of the river water, the texture of the animals' bodies, the heavy folds of the peasants' garments, and the aerial perspective where distant mountains gently dissolve into the horizon. The engraving was created during the artist's stay in Paris, as evidenced by the mark of the Royal Privilege at the bottom.

Inscriptions

At the bottom left on the sheet, the artist's inscription is engraved: "S. D. Bella іn. et feс.", on the right: "Cum Priuil. Reg." (by Royal Privilege). On the backing cardboard at the bottom left in pencil: "104", in the centre, the gallery inventory number: "№ Г-IV-945", on the right: "39", "61".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Two Peasant Women and a Herd of Cattle Crossing a River. From the "Six Animal Subjects" Series

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