Stag Hunt in Fan Shape
1630/60
Medium
Fan-shaped etching in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
23.5 × 45 cm (9 5/16 × 17 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
6167
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Stefano della Bella made several printed fans that were meant to be cut out, mounted, and used, an application inspired by a fan Jacques Callot made in 1619 for the Medici family. A unique example in a canonical folding fan shape depicts a stag hunt. This undated proof is trimmed just outside the platemark, showing that the plate was cut to follow the shape of the accessory it depicted. The lively intertwining of the floral wreaths along the borders and around the main action emphasizes the sens...
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...