Art Institute of Chicago

Black Horseman

Stefano della Bella

Date

c. 1651

Medium

Etching in black on ivory laid paper

Culture

Italy

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Stefano della Bella was a well-known etcher due to his superb detailing and reportorial consistency. Here, a North African light cavalryman draped in leopard skin is armed with bow and javelin. At left stands an unidentified pyramid, while to the right an elephant is hurried along in a caravan. As with the other prints in this series of exotic horsemen, some of the details in this work were probably imagined, added by the artist to render the subject even more dramatic.

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