Design for a Frieze with Acanthus Scrolls and a Leopard in the Center, Plate 10 from: 'Decorative friezes and foliage' (Ornamenti di fregi e fogliami)
ca. 1645–50
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/16 × 9 3/4 in. (8.1 × 24.7 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.100.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 17th-century Baroque decoration, Stefano della Bella, a masterful Italian etcher, crafted this intricate *Design for a Frieze Acanthus Scrolls and a in the Center*. Created around 1645–50 as Plate 10 from the series *Decorativeiezes and Foliage* (*Ornamenti di fregi e fogliami*), published by Parisian printmaker Nicolas Langlois it exemplifies the era's fascination with elaborate ornamental designs for architecture and interiors. Della Bella's etching technique—using acid to incise fine lines into a metal plate—brings exquisite detail to the swirling acanthus scrolls, ...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Nicolas 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...