Plate 12: a cartouche flanked by two winged infant satyrs riding on the heads of two rams, from 'Nouvelles inventions de Cartouches'
ca. 1647
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 5 x 3 11/16 in. (12.7 x 9.4 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.113.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the whimsical world of 17th Baroque ornamentation, Stefano della Bella *Plate 12: a cartouche flanked by two winged satyrs riding on the of two rams* captures the playful exuberance of mythological fancy. Created around 1647 as part of the series *Nouvelles inventions de Cart* ("New Inventions of Cart"), this etching showcases a lavishly framed cartouche—an ornate oval or scroll-shaped enclosure used for inscriptions in architecture, books, and decorative arts. Flanking it are mischievous infant satyrs, half-human, half-goat creatures from classical mythology, depicted with delicate wings a...
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...