The Battle of the Amalekites
ca. 1645–52
Medium
Etching; second state of two
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 1/16 × 10 15/16 in. (12.8 × 27.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.17-304
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella, a masterful 17th-century Italiancher active in Florence and Paris, captures the chaos and fury of biblical warfare in *The Battle of the Amalekites*ca. 1645–52). This dynamic print depicts the ancient clash between Israelite forces and the nomadic Amalekites, drawn from Exodus in the Old Testament, where the Israelites triumphed under divine guidance. Created amid Europe's tumultuous Thirty Years' War era, Bella's work reflects the Baroque fascination with dramatic movement, heroism, and the spectacle of combat, blending historical piety with contemporary military vigor. ...
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...