Second Scene, in Diana's forest, from 'The marriage of the gods' (Le nozze degli Dei)
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 7/8 x 11 5/16 in. (20 x 28.8 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
2012.136.558.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the enchanting world of 17th-century mythology with Stefano della Bella's *Second Scene, in Diana forest, from 'The marriage of the gods' ( nozze degli Dei)* an exquisite etching created in 1637. Della Bella, a masterful Florentine printmaker active during the Baroque era, drew inspiration from classical tales, likely Ovid'sMetamorphoses*, to festive divine unions. This scene unfolds in the lush, sacred forest of Diana, the goddess of the hunt, a moment of celestial revelry amid ornate architecture and natural splendor—evident in its classification as ornament and architecture within...
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...