Plate 6: a peasant on horseback in profile facing the right, holding a basket and talking to another man standing behind the horse, from 'Diversi capricci'
ca. 1644–47
Medium
Etching; third state of four (De Vesme)
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/8 x 3 7/8 in. (8 x 9.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.428.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
This lively etching, *Plate 6: a on horseback in profile facing right, holding a basket talking to another man standing the horse*, comes from Stefano della Bella's *Divers capricci* series, created around 1644–47. The Italian Baroque artist, renowned for his intricate etchings of everyday life, a candid moment of rural camaraderie. Della Bella, who trained in Florence and worked in Paris, drew inspiration from masters like Jacques Callot, infusing his works with dynamic energy and fine detail despite the modest sheet size of just 3 1/8 x 3 7/8 inches. As a third state of four in the etching ...
About the Artist
Stefano della Bella|Nicolas Langlois · 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...