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Faun

Stefano della Bella

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-983
Author: Stefano della Bella
Name: Faun
Technique: etching
Material: paper
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 14.3 x 13.5

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: mythological painting
Provenance: Lviv Historical Museum

Information about author

Author: 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 etching belongs to a series of mythological subjects. The faun, walking down to the river, is depicted against a natural background of trees. He was one of the oldest Roman deities, the patron saint of forests, flocks, and shepherds. According to Virgil, Faunus was a legendary king of the Latins. The engraving was made in 1656, on the artist's return from Paris, and belongs to della Bella's late Florentine period. During this period, he worked on diversifying the themes of his works – he executed a series of hunting scenes and landscapes with Roman ruins.

Inscriptions

On the left: "Stef Della Bella fecit 1656". On the right: "DB".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Faun

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