Leopard, plate 9 from "Various Animals" (Diversi Animali)
Medium
Etching; second state of three (De Vesme)
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 3 3/8 × 4 7/16 in. (8.6 × 11.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.17-258
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella's *Leopard*, plate 9 from the series *Various Animals* (*Diversi Animali*), captures the fierce elegance of its subject in a compact etching from around 1641. Created during the Italian artist's time in Paris, this print showcases della Bella's expertise as a Baroque master etcher, renowned for his intricate depictions of animals, landscapes, daily life. Pierre Mariette, a prominent French publisher, likely played a key role in its distribution, helping these works reach collectors across Europe. Etching, the medium here, allowed della Bella to achieve remarkable detail th...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Pierre Mariette · 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...