Cows crossing a valley at left, a horseman and other cows in the background, plate 6 from "Roman landscapes and ruins" (Paysages et ruines de Rome)
Medium
Etching; fourth state of nine (Talbierska)
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed ): 5 3/8 × 5 11/16 in. (13.7 × 14.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.17-239
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the sun-dappled Roman countryside with *Cows crossing a valley at, a horseman and cows in the background*, 6 from Stefano della Bella's enchanting series *Roman Landscapes and Ruins* (*Paysages et ru de Rome*), circa 1646. Italian printmaker Stefano della Bella, who trained under Jacques Callot and later worked in Paris, captured the timeless beauty of the Eternal City's environs during his travels. Published by François Langlois this etching reflects the 17th-century fascination with Italy's pastoral idylls, blending everyday rural life with the aura of ancient grandeur. Crafted as...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|François Langlois · 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...