Stefano della Bella
Italian, 1610-1664
The Medici Vase, plate one from The Six Large Views of Rome and the Campagna
INV-1094
Stefano della Bella
Italian, 1610-16641656
The Medici Vase, plate one from The Six Large Views of Rome and the Campagna
Stefano della Bella Italian, 1610-1664 →etchingprint
Date
1656
Medium
Etching and engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 30.3 × 27.2 cm (11 15/16 × 10 3/4 in.); Sheet; trimmed within plate: 30.9 × 27.5 cm (12 3/16 × 10 7/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
John H. Wrenn Memorial Collection
This etching is generally considered the earliest and most beautiful of the numerous renditions of the famed Medici Vase. Created in Athens in the first century A.D. and featuring a frieze of Iphigenia crouching beneath a statue of Diana flanked by warriors, the white marble vase was one of many highly celebrated ancient artworks that the Medici family collected in the 16th century at their Roman villa. In this print, Stefano della Bella depicted the young Cosimo III de’ Medici, the artist’s pupil and future Grand Duke of Tuscany, drawing this symbol of Italian affluence.
Also notable
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