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Child Wearing a Mask

Stefano Della Bella

1637

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque

Dominant colour

Child Wearing a Mask is a 1637 ink by Stefano Della Bella, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Stefano Della Bella
When & what style?: 1637 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

Stefano Della Bella shows a child wearing a bird-like mask. The mask has a long beak and feathers. The child’s eyes peek over the top. This isn’t just a playful scene. It’s an etching, meaning the image was carved into a metal plate, inked, then pressed onto paper. Drypoint adds scratchy lines for texture. See the tiny dots near the child’s hand? Those show how the artist scratched directly into the plate. Try comparing it to Della Bella, Stefano.

About the artist

Artist

Stefano Della Bella

Stefano della Bella (18 May 1610 – 12 July 1664) was an Italian draughtsman and printmaker known for etchings of a great variety of subjects, including military and court scenes, landscapes, and lively genre scenes.

See the richer artist page