Hungarian Horseman
c. 1651
Medium
Etching in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 19 × 19 cm (7 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
129394
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In 1633 Stefano della Bella sketched the festive entry of a Polish ambassador to Rome, recordings which were later reproduced as etchings. To signal the importance of his arrival, a colorful parade of noblemen, soldiers, and retainers from various national and native groups accompanied him on horseback. Among the ranks were cavalrymen from North Africa, Hungary, and Poland (on view nearby). Here, a burly aristocratic Hungarian trots among a group of riders.
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...