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Two Polish Noblemen. From the "Polish and Hungarian Figures" Series

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-947
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Two Polish Noblemen. From the "Polish and Hungarian Figures" Series
Date of creation: c. 1646
Country: France
Technique: etching
Material: paper on cardboard
Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.8 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: portraiture
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 series titled "Polish and Hungarian Figures" was created in the 1640s. Within it, the artist captured elements of Oriental and "Sarmatian" costume, both exotic to Western Europe, including the traditional feathered headdresses depicted in this sketch.
Two Polish noblemen are depicted from behind in a three-quarter view. The composition is focussed on the details of their attire and distinctive headwear. The man on the left is of mature age, with a grey moustache; he wears a fur hat adorned with a curved feather and a thick tunicked coat with a wide collar. The nobleman on the right is likewise depicted from behind, his feathered headdress reminiscent of an Oriental turban.
Through a masterful hatching technique, the artist flawlessly conveys the volume of the figures, the interplay of light and shade, and the varying textures of materials – the softness of the fur, the fullness of the feathers, and the density of the garment fabric. The background remains neutral, concentrating the viewer's attention entirely on the characters and silhouettes of the figures.

Inscriptions

At the bottom of the backing cardboard, numbers and the gallery inventory number are marked in pencil.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery