A woman in profile pulling back on a rope tied around the horns of a young bull
ca. 1660
Medium
Etching; second state of two
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 1/8 x 5 13/16 in. (15.5 x 14.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.806
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intricate etching *A Woman in Profile Pulling Back on Rope Tied Around the Horns of a Young Bull* (ca. 1660), Stefano della Bella captures a dynamic moment of tension and control. Created as the second state of two this print measures a compact 6 1/8 x 5 13/16 inches and exemplifies the Florentine artist's mastery during the Baroque era. Della Bella, who trained under the influential Jacques Callot and worked in Paris for much of his career, was renowned for his fine-line etchings that blended realism with theatrical flair, often depicting animals, landscapes, and everyday scenes with remarkable detail. The composition highlights a strong woman in strict profile, her body arched as she reins in a spirited young bull by a rope looped around its horns. This motif evokes pastoral traditions and the timeless theme of human dominion over nature, possibly drawing from classical mythology or rural life in 17th-century Europe. Etching's acid-etched lines allowed Della Bella to achieve delicate textures—from the bull's rippling muscles to the rope's taut twist—making it ideal for reproducing such vivid narratives affordably for collectors. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department through the Bequest of Phyllis Massar (2011), this work showcases etching's rise as a democratic medium, bridging elite patronage and wider audiences. Della Bella's precise technique not only preserved fleeting action but also celebrated the quiet heroism in ordinary strength.
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella · 1610–1664
Stefano della Bella (1610-1664) was one of the most prolific and versatile printmakers of the Italian Baroque period, leaving behind 1,052 prints and several thousand drawings that captured the vivid essence of 17th-century European life. Born in Florence on May 18, 1610, to a family of artists, he trained initially as a goldsmith before studying painting under Cesare Dandini and etching under Rem...