The Colossal Statue of the Apennines, from Views of Villa di Pratolino
c. 1653
Medium
Etching in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 24.4 × 38.4 cm (9 5/8 × 15 1/8 in.); Plate: 25.5 × 38.7 cm (10 1/16 × 15 1/4 in.); Sheet: 32.9 × 45 cm (13 × 17 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
121416
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
On the outskirts of Florence, the Villa di Pratolino and its resplendent gardens and grottoes were built by the grand duke of Tuscany. Francesco de’ Medici constructed it for his mistress, Bianca Cappello, who later became his second wife. This view shows the gigantic statue personifying the Apennine Mountains, a masterpiece made in 1579–80 by the late Renaissance sculptor Giambologna. The fantastical setting was a fitting subject for Stefano della Bella’s energetic yet delicate linework. His e...
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...