Air, a landscape during a hurricane, three horsemen battling the wind, a mass of trees to the right, from 'The four elements' (Les quatre Eléments)
ca. 1645–50
Medium
Etching; first state of three
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/4 x 7 3/4 in. (8.3 x 19.7 cm) Plate: 3 1/4 x 7 5/8 in. (8.2 x 19.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.430.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a 17th-century Italiancher renowned for his intricate Baroque landscapes and dynamic scenes, captures the fury of nature in *Air, a landscape during a hurricane, horsemen battling the wind a mass of trees to right*. Created around 1645–50 as part of the series *Les quatre Éléments* (The Four Elements), print vividly embodies the element of air through a chaotic storm: windswept trees bend dramatically on the right, while three determined horsemen struggle against the gale, their cloaks and manes whipping wildly. As a first-state etching—one of the earliest impressions bef...
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...