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Polish Rider with a Mace. From the "Moorish, Polish, and Hungarian Riders" Series

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-975
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Polish Rider with a Mace. From the "Moorish, Polish, and Hungarian Riders" Series
Country: France
Technique: etching
Material: paper
Dimensions: 18.5 x 19.3 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: battle 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 artist's interest in depicting exotic warriors arose as early as 1633, when he witnessed and recorded the magnificent procession of the Polish ambassador. Later, while in France, the master recreated these cavalrymen across eleven tondi of a military series. These prints are highly valued by historians for their extraordinary precision in rendering the details of military attire, harness, equine anatomy, and weaponry – including karabela sabres, bows, and shields.
The composition is neatly inscribed within a circular frame – a tondo – creating a panoramic viewpoint effect. In the centre, a Polish cavalryman, possibly a rotmistrz (captain), is depicted riding majestically. In his raised hand, he clasps a bulawa (mace) – a symbol of military authority that emphasises the warrior's high status. To the left, behind the rider's back, a massive fortress tower rises. At its base, cavalrymen are visible with their horses. On the horizon to the right, other groups of horsemen can be discerned. The sky is filled with light cumulus clouds, rendered with delicate parallel hatching.
The work is executed using the pure etching technique. The master employs fine cross-hatching to reproduce volumes, the horse's musculature, the texture of fabrics and fur, and the rugged surface of the rocky ground.

Inscriptions

Beneath the image on the bottom left of the sheet, the artist's signature is engraved: "S.D. Bella inu & fec", on the right: "Cum Priuil. Regis" – [With the King's privilege]. Pencil marks on the backing cardboard indicate the gallery inventory number "Г-IV-975/ЛДКГ" and the number "49".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Polish Rider with a Mace. From the "Moorish, Polish, and Hungarian Riders" Series

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