Plate 7: two friezes; at top, an eagle and the head of a lion, at bottom, a lion head and two grotesque heads of men, from 'Friezes, foliage, and grotesques' (Frises, feuillages et grotesques)
ca. 1638–43
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/2 × 4 15/16 in. (6.4 × 12.5 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
2012.136.101.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intricate world of 17th-century ornamental prints, Stefano della Bella's *Plate 7: two friezes; at top, an eagle the head of a lion at bottom, a lion and two grotesque heads of* stands out as a masterful etching from his series *Friezes, foliage, andques* (ca. 1638–43). Della Bella, a Florentine artist renowned for his delicate Baroque etchings, drew inspiration from ancient Roman motifs revived during the Renaissance. This small sheet (just 2½ × 4⅞ inches) captures dynamic friezes brimming with symbolic power: the eagle evokes imperial might, lions embody strength and ferocity, and gro...
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...