Apollo, from 'Game of Mythology' (Jeu de la Mythologie)
Medium
Etching; first state of five
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 7/8 × 2 1/16 in. (4.7 × 5.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Robert Hartshorne, 1918
Accession Number
18.48.2-30
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, *Apollo, from 'Game of Mythology'Jeu de la Myth)*, captures the god music and poetry in a compact 1 7/8 × 2 1/16 in. sheet, created by Italian master printmaker Stefano della Bella in1644. As the first state of five, it represents an early, pristine impression before later refinements, showcasing della Bella's virtuosic line work during his time in Paris.ed amid the opulent French court under Cardinal Jules Mazarin and the young Louis XIV, with poetic contributions from Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin and engraving by Henri Le Gras, this print formed part of a luxurious c...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin|Henri Le Gras|Louis XIV, King of France|Cardinal Jules Mazarin · 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...