Stefano della Bella’s etching, “Dancing Satyrs”, c1645

Stefano della Bella (1610–1664)

“Dancing Satyrs”, c1645 (1643–1648), final plate from the series of six etchings, “Animali” (aka “Six sujets d’animaux”). The Rijksmuseum advises that signed preliminary studies for this print and the other etchings in the series are “kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (inv. No. 7973 F), in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg (inv. No. 43722) and in Windsor Castle at Windsor (inv. No. 4572, 4662a, 4662b, 4659 and 4611b)” (see http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.77280).

Etching with pale plate tone on fine wove (China) paper with small margins.

Size: (sheet) 15.7 x 14.4 cm; (plate) 14.3 x 13.5 cm; (dia. image borderline) 13.4/13.5cm.

Inscribed on plate below the image borderline: (faintest trace at left) ["SDBella In. et Fe."]; (centre) “162”.

Late impression with the production details almost completely erased.

De Vesme/Massar 719 (Alexandre de Vesme & Phyllis D. Massar, 1971, “Stefano della Bella. Catalogue Raisonné”, New York, Collectors Editions, [Text] p. 113, cat. no. 719, [Illust.] p. 136, cat. no. 719); Jombert (Della Bella) 128-6 (Charles Antoine Jombert 1772, “Essai d'un catalogue de l'oeuvre d'Etienne de la Belle, peintre et graveur florentin”, Paris, p. 132, cat. no. 128-6).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Group of satyrs; in a landscape, two male satyrs and a female faun seated on a bank watching two infant satyrs dancing with a male satyr carrying a child on his shoulders. c.1646 Etching” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_X-5-149).

Condition: a well-printed but late impression with small margins. There are remnants of glue along the upper edge (verso), otherwise, the sheet is in excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, stains or foxing.

I am selling this very beautiful etching by one of the most famous of the old master printmakers, for AU$255 (currently US$194.98/EUR163.98/GBP141.56 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this circular mythological composition sparkling with glistening light on trees that would Constable proud and featuring a tambourine playing maenad with two seated satyrs watching the two child satyrs (or are they fauns?) dancing accompanied by a satyr holding a youngster on his shoulders, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.