Plate 13: ruins of an ancient temple in the background, a herd of cows in the foreground, a round composition, from 'Roman landscapes and ruins' (Paysages et ruines de Rome)

Art Historical Context

In the mid-17th century, during the height of the Baroque era, Italian etcher Stefano della Bella captured timeless allure of Rome's ancient ruins in his series *Paysages et ruines de Rome* ( Landscapes and Ruins), by Paris printmaker Pierre Mariette le fils 1643–48. Plate 13 exemplifies this fascination with antiquity, blending majestic decay with everyday pastoral life. The etching's round composition draws the eye into a harmonious vignette: crumbling ruins of an ancient temple loom evocatively in the background, symbolizing the grandeur of imperial Rome, while a serene herd of cows grazes in the foreground, grounding the scene in the present. Della Bella's mastery of etching—a technique using acid to bite intricate lines into a metal plate—shines here, allowing for delicate textures like weathered stone and soft animal fur within the compact 5 3/16 x 5 5/16-inch sheet. This intimate scale made such prints highly collectible among Europe's elite, who prized them as affordable souvenirs of the Grand Tour. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011), this work reflects the era's *ruin lust*, bridging classical heritage with emerging landscape traditions and inspiring later Romantic artists. Visitors can appreciate how it invites quiet reflection on time's passage amid enduring beauty.

About the Artist

Pierre Mariette le fils|Stefano della Bella (French|French) · 1640 |1634 –1713 |1716

French, 1640–1713|French, Paris 1634–1716 Paris