Clotaire 2.-e / Juste, moderé..., from 'Game of the Kings of France' (Jeu des Rois de France)
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 7/16 x 2 3/16 in. (8.8 x 5.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.810.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a prolific Italian etcher active in 17th-century France, this intricate print in 1644 as part of his *Game of the Kings of France (*Jeu des Rois de France Titled *Clotaire 2.-e / Juste, moderé...*, it depicts Clotaire II a Merovingian king ruled from 584 to 629 and reunified the Frankish kingdoms after years of division. Rendered in the suit of swords—a nod to playing card iconography—the etching captures the monarch in regal attire, sword in hand, embodying virtues like justice and moderation as inscribed in the motto. This series transformed historical education into an...
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...