Sultana wearing a turban, in profile to the right, from 'Several heads in the Persian style' (Plusieurs têtes coiffées à la persienne)
Medium
Etching; second state of two
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 4 in. × 2 13/16 in. (10.1 × 7.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Mrs. William Greenough, 1937
Accession Number
37.30.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, *Sultana wearing aban, in profile to right*, is one of several heads rendered in the "Persian style" by Italian master printmaker Stefano della Bella, by Israël Henriet around 1649–50. Della Bella, renowned for his intricate Baroque etchings during his time in Paris, captured exotic subjects amid Europe's growing fascination with Eastern cultures. The profile view evokes classical medallions while nodding to Ottoman or Persian influences, portraying a noblewoman—likely imagined as a sultana—with a striking turban that highlights 17th-century European interpretations of I...
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...