Jupiter and Ganymede, from 'Game of Mythology' (Jeu de la Mythologie)
Medium
Etching; first state of five
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 7/8 × 2 3/16 in. (4.8 × 5.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Robert Hartshorne, 1918
Accession Number
18.48.2-19
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching by Stefano della Bella captures the mythological encounter between Jupiter and Ganymede, rendered as a playing card from the 1644 “Jeu de la Mythologie.” Created in collaboration with writer Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin and publisher Henri Le Gras under the patronage of Cardinal Mazarin and the young Louis XIV, the series transformed classical myths into an educational card game for the French court. At just under two inches tall, the print’s intimate scale was ideal for handheld play while introducing aristocratic children to ancient stories. Della Bella’s fluid etchi...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin|Henri Le Gras|Louis XIV, King of France|Cardinal Jules Mazarin · 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...