Two cows in center, followed by two peasant women and other cows in the river to left, a round composition, from 'Six animal subjects' (Six sujets d'animaux)
ca. 1643–48
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 1/4 x 11 5/16 in. (21 x 28.7 cm) Plate: 5 13/16 x 5 9/16 in. (14.7 x 14.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.556.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of Stefano della Bella's etching *Two cows in center, followed by two peasant and other cows in the to left, a round composition*, from his series *Six animal subjects (Six sujets d'anima), ca. 1643–48, we encounter a lively pastoral scene. The Italian Baroque master, renowned for his intricate prints, captures cows wading through a river, herded by two sturdy peasant women, all arranged in a dynamic, circular composition. This intimate plate (5 13/16 x 5 9/16 in.) draws viewers into the rhythms of rural life, blending animals and humans in harmonious motion. Della Bella's etchin...
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...