Three goats climbing a vine in the shape of a backwards 'S', from 'Ornaments or Grotesques' (Ornamenti o Grottesche)
ca. 1650–56
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 7/8 × 2 11/16 in. (17.4 × 6.8 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
2012.136.98.11
Tags
Art Historical Context
Stefano della Bella’s etching *Three goats climbing a vine in the shape of a backwards 'S'* belongs to his series *Ornaments or Grotesques* (*Ornamenti o Grottesche*), created around 1650–56. Della Bella, a prolific Florentine printmaker active during the Baroque era, specialized in imaginative ornamental designs that revived the ancient Roman grotesque style. These motifs—playful combinations of animals, foliage, and scrolling forms—were popular for inspiring decorative schemes in architecture, textiles, and metalwork. The print’s compact format (roughly 6 7/8 by 2 11/16 inches) and delicate...
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...