Beneath an archway, a groom holds the bridle of a horse shown in profile, facing left, the title page for 'Various cavalry exercises' (Diverses exercices de cavalerie)
ca. 1642–45
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 7/16 x 2 13/16 in. (8.7 x 7.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.435.1
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a Italian etcher active in 17th-century Paris, this intricate etching around 1642–45 in collaboration with publisher Israël Henriet. Titled *Beneath an archway a groom holds the brid of a horse shown in, facing left*, it serves as the elegant title for *Diverses exercices de cavalerie* (*Various cavalry exercises*), a depicting military horsemanship. The compact scene (just 3 7/16 x 2 13/16 inches) captures a groom steadying a noble horse beneath a shadowed archway, accented by a coat of arms that hints at aristocratic patronage. Produced during the Baroque era amid Europe's military upheavals like the Thirty Years' War, the print reflects the era's fascination with equestrian prowess and chivalric ideals. Cavalry manuals like this one were practical guides for officers, blending instruction with artistic flair to glorify the mounted soldier. Della Bella's time in France under Cardinal Richelieu's influence infused his works with dynamic energy and precise observation of anatomy and architecture. Etching's acid-bitten lines allowed della Bella to render the horse's fluid musculature and architectural details with remarkable finesse, making this modest print a gem of technical virtuosity. Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, it invites visitors to appreciate how art illuminated the discipline and drama of 17th-century warfare.
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Israël Henriet · 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...