Polish hussar in profile facing right with wings attached to his back, a circular composition, from 'Figures on Horseback' (Cavaliers nègres, polonais et hongrois)
ca. 1648–53
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 3/8 x 7 7/16 in. (18.7 x 18.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.436.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this dynamic etching from Stefano della Bella series *Figures on Horseback*Cavaliers nègres,onais et hongrois),. 1648–53, a Polish hussar is captured in striking profile facing right. The rider's elaborate wings—iconic wooden frames adorned with feathers—jut dramatically from his back, evoking the fearsome cavalry of the Polishithuanian Commonwealth. The circular composition, measuring just 7 3/8 x 7 7/ inches, draws the eye inward, heightening the sense of motion and grandeur on horseback. Stefano della Bella, a masterful 17th-century Italian etcher active in Florence and Paris, excelled ...
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...