Black horseman

Born in Florence in 1610, Stefano della Bella began his career in the studio of a goldsmith, but apart from this early apprenticeship, he was basically self-taught. Before the age of twenty, he had allied himself with the powerful Medici court, which provided him with patronage throughout his career. With the Medici's support, in 1633, della Bella traveled to Rome where he remained until 1639. He already showed an impressively diverse range as well as the highest drawing skills. Like a devoted photographer intent on capturing the major events of his time, della Bella recorded the lavish theatrical pageants of the nobility, daily life and the battlefield realities of the Thirty Years War.

In 1639 della Bella left for Paris where he lived until 1650. There he worked for the publishers Israël Henriet and François Langlois, as well as undertaking work for Pierre Mariette and Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin. His passion for recording contemporary life is confirmed in the diversity of figures found in his prints (one print showing a view of the Pont Neuf in Paris includes no less than 451 discretely formed figures) which range from military scenes to the French countryside.

Returning to Italy in 1650, della Bella produced work for the Medici court in Florence as well as contributing to designs for masques. He produced prints showing Italian life (including scenes of the Roman Campagna) and others drawing on his time in Paris. He also had an eye for exotic magnificence, which comes over in this etching, one of a series of eleven that follow a circular format. It depicts a suave and obviously wealthy black horseman in profile facing right and turning towards the viewer, in a landscape setting. He is wearing a turban and carries a bow and arrows on his back, with several Turkish men behind to the left. Other riders are galloping at the centre and there is a town with a mosque behind to the right. The dramatic sky handsomely complements the horseman.

Hugely admired in his lifetime, Della Bella fell into neglect in the 19th and early-to-mid 20th century but is now highly regarded again by art historians.

See:

https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/explore-art-and-ideas/artist/1/stefano-della-bella

http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/11897/stefano-della-bella-italian-1610-1664/

Phyllis D. Massar, 'Presenting Stefano della Bella', https://www.metmuseum.org/pubs/bulletins/1/pdf/3258383.pdf.bannered.pdf

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art        June 2017