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Camels. From the "Various Animals" Series, Plate 18

Stefano della Bella

  • Camels. From the "Various Animals" Series, Plate 18
Basic information
ID
Г-IV-962
Author
Stefano della Bella
Name
Camels. From the "Various Animals" Series, Plate 18
Country
France
Technique
etching
Material
paper
Dimensions
8.5 x 10.7 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
In the foreground, a large two-humped camel – a Bactrian – is depicted in detail, standing with its hindquarters turned towards the viewer. To its right, in the middle ground, another camel is visible, with a driver sitting beside it. The horizon is low. In the background, an Egyptian pyramid on the left and a tall hill on the right are indicated with hatching, capturing the atmosphere of a Middle Eastern landscape.
The work is distinguished by della Bella's characteristic refinement of lines and masterly rendering of the animals' fur texture. Through dense hatching and soft chiaroscuro, the figures of the animals acquire volume.
The series was executed during the artist's stay in Paris and was published by Pierre Mariette.
Inscriptions
At the bottom of the print on the left: "18" (the plate number). Further to the right: "S. della Bella fecit.". In the centre and on the right: "Cum priuil Mariette excu." – [Published by Mariette, with privilege]. Pencil marks on the backing cardboard at the bottom in the centre: the gallery inventory number "№ Г-IV-962"; on the left near the corner of the sheet: "48", and on the right: "105".
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

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