Plate 9: Leopard, from "Various animals" (Diversi animali)
ca. 1641
Medium
Etching; third state of three (De Vesme)
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed to plate): 3 3/8 × 4 5/16 in. (8.6 × 10.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Grace M. Pugh, 1985
Accession Number
1986.1180.595
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a masterful Italian etcher of the Baroque era (1610–1664), this striking depiction of a leopard as Plate 9 from his series *Diversi animali (Various Animals), around 1641. Working primarily in Florence and Paris, della Bella was renowned for his intricate, lively prints that captured the dynamism of nature, influenced by predecessors like Jacques Callot and contemporaries such as Rembrandt. This small etching (just 3⅜ × 4¼ inches) showcases his skill in rendering wild animals with fluid lines and expressive poses, reflecting the 17th-century fascination with exotic fauna 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...