South Facade of the Villa and the Great Meadow, from Views of the Villa Pratolino
Medium
Etching on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 24 × 37.6 cm (9 1/2 × 14 13/16 in.); Plate: 25 × 37.6 cm (9 7/8 × 14 13/16 in.); Sheet: 32.5 × 45 cm (12 13/16 × 17 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
121408
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This view is from a set of six signed and numbered etchings of the Villa Pratolino in Florence and its famous park, fountains, and grottoes. The villa, which was destroyed in 1822, was created around 1569-84 for Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici based on the designs of Bernardo Buontalenti and others. This set of plates was so popular that it continued to be printed into the 18th century.
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...