Beneath an archway, a groom holds the bridle of a horse shown in profile, facing left, the title page for 'Various cavalry exercises' (Diverses exercices de cavalerie)
ca. 1642–45
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 7/16 x 2 13/16 in. (8.7 x 7.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.435.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a Italian etcher active in 17th-century Paris, this intricate etching around 1642–45 in collaboration with publisher Israël Henriet. Titled *Beneath an archway a groom holds the brid of a horse shown in, facing left*, it serves as the elegant title for *Diverses exercices de cavalerie* (*Various cavalry exercises*), a depicting military horsemanship. The compact scene (just 3 7/16 x 2 13/16 inches) captures a groom steadying a noble horse beneath a shadowed archway, accented by a coat of arms that hints at aristocratic patronage. Produced during the Baroque era amid Europ...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Israël Henriet · 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...