A Peasant on Horseback seen in Profile Facing Right; Two Studies of the Same Man's Head.
1610–64
Medium
Pen and brown ink; traces of sketches in graphite
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 9/16 x 3 5/8 in. (6.5 x 9.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Regina Slatkin, 1956
Accession Number
56.521.4
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a Italian draftsman and etcher of the Baroque era (1610–1664), captured everyday life with remarkable precision in this intimate drawing. Titled *A Peasant on Horseback seen Profile Facing Right; Two of the Same Man's Head it dates to the mid-17th century showcases the artist's keen eye for human form and motion. Della Bella, who trained in Florence and worked in Paris under the Medici patronage, was renowned for his dynamic sketches of peasants, soldiers, and festivals, often rendered in pen and ink for later etchings. Executed on a modest sheet (just 2 9/16 x 3 5/8 inches) with pen and brown ink over faint graphite underdrawings, the work features a profile view of a rugged peasant astride a horse, accompanied by two detailed head studies of the same figure. This multi-study format reveals della Bella's working method: quick graphite outlines refined into fluid, expressive ink lines that convey texture—from the man's weathered face and tousled hair to the horse's muscular form. Such preparatory drawings highlight his virtuosity in small-scale works, blending realism with Baroque energy. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Regina Slatkin, 1956), this piece offers a window into 17th-century rural life, emphasizing the humble peasant as a subject of artistic dignity. It's a testament to how della Bella elevated genre studies, influencing later draftsmen with his economical yet vivid technique.
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...