Seated Woman in Profile after Antique Bas Relief
ca. 1660
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 6 1/16 × 5 3/16 in. (15.4 × 13.1 cm) Sheet: 6 11/16 × 5 13/16 in. (17 × 14.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.622.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a 17th-century Italiancher renowned for his intricate reproductive prints, created *Seated Woman in Profile Antique Bas Relief* around1660. This delicate etching captures the poised silhouette of a woman seated in profile, faithfully interpreting an ancient bas-relief. Della Bella's work the era's deep fascination with classical antiquity, as artists and scholars revived Greco-Roman motifs during the Baroque period to celebrate timeless beauty and harmony. Etching, Della Bella's preferred medium, allowed him to achieve exquisite line work and subtle tonal effects on a mod...
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...