Mounted Peasant with a Child in Her Arms, plate six from The Six Large Views of Rome and the Campagna
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 29.1 × 26.3 cm (11 1/2 × 10 3/8 in.); Sheet: 29.2 × 26.1 cm (11 1/2 × 10 5/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
131082
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This etching by Stefano della Bella is from a series of landscapes of Rome and the Campagna. Unlike most etchers of the 17th century, who also made paintings, Della Bella devoted himself almost entirely to printmaking. His etchings are particularly admired for their intense textures and atmospheric effects. The contrast between the coarse tree bark and the plush bundles of foliage exemplify Della Bella’s style.
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...