Plate 4: five grotesque heads, from 'Friezes, foliage, and grotesques' (Frises, feuillages et grotesques)
ca. 1638–43
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 3/8 × 4 5/16 in. (6 × 10.9 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
2012.136.101.4
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a masterful Italian printmaker of the Baroque era, created this etching around 1638–43 as *Plate 4: five grotesque heads* from his series *Friezes, foliage, and grotesques* (*Frises, feuill et grotesques*). Working primarily in Florence and Paris, della Bella was renowned for his intricate ornamental designs, which drew inspiration from ancient Roman decorations rediscovered during the Renaissance.tesques—fantastical, hybrid figures blending human, animal, and plant elements—were a hallmark of 17th-century decorative arts, adorning friezes, walls, and furniture to evoke wh...
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...