Artwork
Woman in a Feathered Turban with a Veil, Turned to the Right
Woman in a Feathered Turban with a Veil, Turned to the Right is an ink print by the Baroque artist Stefano Della Bella. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:center left in plate: SDBella; by later hand, lower center in graphite within plate mark: 49; by later hand, lower right in graphite: 172; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: 9
About this work
Overview
Stefano della Bella, a Florentine draughtsman active in the mid‑17th century, executed the print Woman in a Feathered Turban with a Veil, Turned to the Right in 1650. The work is an etching on laid paper, measuring roughly the size of a typical portrait sheet of the period. It exemplifies della Bella’s prolific output, which includes more than a thousand prints spanning a variety of subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a solitary female figure, shown from the shoulders up, her head inclined to the right. She wears a turban adorned with feathers and a semi‑transparent veil that partially obscures her face, while her hair is gathered back. The quiet, introspective pose and the delicate handling of fabric suggest a study of costume and mood rather than a narrative scene.
Technique & Style
Created by incising lines into a copper plate and then drawing ink into the grooves, the etching achieves tonal depth through layered hatching and cross‑hatching. Della Bella’s handling of line renders the texture of the feathered turban, the veil’s translucency, and the fine details of the collar with a controlled, almost sculptural precision characteristic of his mature printmaking.
Context
The print belongs to a period when Italian artists were expanding the possibilities of the etching medium for both documentary and decorative purposes.
The print belongs to a period when Italian artists were expanding the possibilities of the etching medium for both documentary and decorative purposes. Della Bella’s work circulated among collectors and connoisseurs across Europe, contributing to his reputation as a versatile printmaker. The piece is documented in several 18th‑century catalogues of his oeuvre, confirming its attribution and dating to the mid‑1650s.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
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.
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