Landscape with Ruins
in or before 1647
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1973.34.11
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella's *Landscape with Ruins*, etching created in or before 1647, the evocative beauty of decayed grandeur amid a pastoral setting. The Italian artist, renowned for his masterful printmaking during the Baroque era, trained in Florence and later worked in Paris, where he honed his intricate etching technique. This medium was revolutionary for its time, allowing della Bella to achieve delicate lines, rich textures, and atmospheric depth on a small scale—perfect for reproducing complex scenes like crumbling arches and overgrown foliage. Della Bella's landscapes often blended real ...
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...