Studies Of A Lion, Boar, Dog And Eagles, Stefano Della Bella

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Studies Of A Lion, Boar, Dog And Eagles, Stefano Della Bella

About the Item

Inscribed in black ink on lower center of verso: lely

Studies of a Lion, Boar, Dog and Eagles, on recto
Studies of a Horse, Hound and Deer, on verso

One of the greatest Italian draftsmen and engravers, Stefano della Bella was a prolific artist, whose over one thousand prints depict all aspects of seventeenth century rural and urban life. Part of a family of artists, Stefano was apprenticed at a young age to a goldsmith, Orazio Vanni, in whose workshop he perfected the minutia of metal work, skills that would serve him well as an engraver. This technique was perfected under Remigio Cantagallina’s tutelage. With only brief formal training in the studios of Cesare Dandini and Giovanni Battista Vanni, Stefano was largely self-taught as a draftsman, copying works by Leonardo da Vinci.

Della Bella earliest engravings were very much in the style of Callot, while, by the early 1630s, the figurative style of Francesco Furini had influenced his work. Stefano’s engravings were admired by Prince Giovanni Carlo de’Medici, who became the artist’s patron, allowing him to travel to Rome, where he studied almost continuously from 1633 to 1639. During this period, he produced several sketchbooks filled with drawings, capturing all aspects of life in a distinctly new style. Leaving behind Florentine Mannerism, Stefano’s work in Rome was influenced by the strong undercurrent of the Baroque movement softened by the naturalism of the Dutch landscapists. In 1639, della Bella accompanied the Florentine ambassador, Baron del Nero, to Paris, where he worked steadily until 1650 on illustrations for the publishers Henriet and Langlois and on court commissions from the Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin. During this period, Della Bella’s work was visibly influenced by Netherlandish artists, especially Rembrandt, whose prints he avidly collected. During his time in France, della Bella produced the majority of his engravings, which were increasingly expressive and technically inventive. Precipitated by Parisian hostility towards Mazarin’s Italian artisans, Stefano returned to Florence in 1650, and worked for the Medici until his death, supplying engravings of court festivals, costume designs, and views of the gardens at Pratolino.

On this sheet, della Bella drew on both sides using his recognizable technique of making delicate preliminary sketches in black chalk worked over, in a more finished manner, with light brown ink, with a finely sharpened quill pen. Seemingly a page from one of his sketchbooks, this drawing, demonstrating his interest in rapidly recorded observations, depicts an array of animals, all of which are related to engravings. Many of the animals are direct studies for della Bella’s unique series of hunting scenes, published in 1654, other preparatory drawings for which are preserved in the Louvre (see F. Viatte, Les dessins de Stefano della Bella, Paris, 1974, no. 261, inv. 385-2). The hound and deer on the verso directly correspond with della Bella’s engraving (see A. de Vesme, revised by P. Massar, Stefano della Bella: Catalogue Raisonné, New York, 1971, pl. 731). The eagles on this sheet were studies for his circa 1651 engravings (see de Vesme/Massar, pl. 723 and 725).

Dimensions:
Height: 8.625 in (21.91 cm)Width: 12 in (30.48 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Pen
Period:
18th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
1610-1664
Condition:
Excellent Antique Condition.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: EMD 101stDibs: U090421854380