Medium
Etching, state i
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Robert Hartshorne, 1918
Accession Number
18.48.2-42
Tags
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department will delight in *Narcisse* (1644), a finely wrought etching by the masterful Italian artist Stefano della Bella, with contributions from Jean Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin, Henri Le Gras, and the patronage of Louis XIV and Cardinal Jules Mazarin. This first-state impression (state i) captures a mythological scene teeming with men, women, dogs, and trees, evoking the timeless tale of Narcissus—likely gazing entranced at his reflection amid lush natural elements. Della Bella's Baroque style shines through in his intricate li...
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...