Medium
Etching
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Robert Hartshorne, 1918
Accession Number
18.48.2-57
Tags
About this artwork
This grotesque mask etching exemplifies Stefano della Bella's virtuoso printmaking and his deep engagement with theatrical and decorative arts. Attributed to della Bella, the Florentine artist who lived from 1610 to 1664, this work demonstrates the fantastical imagination that characterized his diverse output. The mask features characteristic grotesque elements including horns and oak leaves, rendered with the technical mastery that made della Bella one of the seventeenth century's most accompli...
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...