Artist sketched important events preserving them for posterity
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| Carlo Dolci's 1631 portrait of Stefano della Bella, which currently resides in the Pitti Palace |
Stefano della Bella, who produced hundreds of sketches of
court festivities held by the Medici, as well as visual records of important
public occasions, died on this day in 1664 in Florence.
Della Bella was a draughtsman and printmaker known for his
etchings of military and court scenes. He left more than 1000 prints and
several thousand drawings, but only one known painting.
He was born into a family of artists in Florence in 1610 and
was apprenticed to a goldsmith. However he went on to become an engraver and
studied etching.
Thanks to the patronage of the Medici family, Della Bella
was able to study for six years in Rome living in the Medici Palace in the
Villa Borghese area.
Della Bella produced views of Rome, drawings of antiquities
and sketches of crowded public occasions in a series of sketchbooks, many of
which were later turned into prints.
He also made trips to Florence to record Medici court
festivities and during this period his style developed from Mannerist to
Baroque.
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| A scene in Rome typical of those drawn by Della Bella shows the Arch of Constantine |
Della Bella captured major events of his time, just like a
photographer does today, and his prints have enabled people to see in detail
the lavish festivities held by the Medici family and what daily life was like
in Rome - and also in Paris - in the first half of the 17th century.
While in Rome, Della Bella created a series of six prints,
which formed a long panel measuring 2.5 metres, showing the Polish ambassador’s
ceremonial entry into Rome. He also created many intricate prints showing views
of Rome as they were at the time.
In 1639 Della Bella went to Paris, where he adapted his
style to suit French taste. In 1641, Cardinal Richelieu sent him to Arras to
make drawings for prints recording the siege and taking of Arras by the Royal
Army. Then, in 1664, Cardinal Mazarin commissioned him to create four sets of
educational playing cards for the young Louis XIV.
Della Bella also created views of Paris, including a very
large print of the Pont Neuf, looking south from the entrance from the Place
Dauphine, with accurate depictions of the buildings on the banks of the Seine
and including more than 400 distinct figures, such as beggars, gypsies,
children and animals. During this period Della Bella also travelled to Holland,
where he was profoundly influenced by Rembrandt.
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| Della Bella's detailed print showing the Pont Neuf in Paris |
On his return to Florence, Della Bella was granted a pension
by the Grand Duke and was given the task of instructing his son, Cosimo III de' Medici, in drawing.
Della Bella continued to send plates to Paris publishers and
is also known to have illustrated some of the discoveries of Galileo.
But he did little work after suffering a stroke in 1661 and
he died three years later.
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| The Villa Medici, where Della Bella lived during his time working for the Medici family in Rome |
Travel tip:
The Villa Medici in Rome, where Della Bella lived during his
time in the capital, is on the Pincian Hill next to the Church of Trinità dei
Monti. The villa was founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany,
in 1576. It became the principal Medici property in Rome, intended to assert
the family’s importance and their permanent presence in Rome.
Travel tip:
Della Bella would have regularly visited Palazzo Pitti to
give the future Cosimo III de' Medici drawing lessons. The child was born in the
palace in 1642, on the south side of the River Arno in Florence, a short
distance from the Ponte Vecchio. Palazzo Pitti was originally the home of Luca
Pitti, a Florentine banker. It was bought by the Medici family in 1549, after
which it became the chief residence of the ruling family of the Grand Duchy of
Tuscany.
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