Galley Slave Hauling a Ship's Cargo

1656

Stefano Della Bella

Associated Names
Stefano Della Bella

Artist, Florentine, 1610 - 1664

The image shows a laborer rolling a large barrel on a cobblestone pavement near the water's edge. Two masted ships are docked in the distance, with tall masts reaching into the sky. A cylindrical tower structure and a few buildings are nearby, suggesting an urban coastal setting. The horizon is high, with ships and distant landforms visible against it. The artist uses intricate etching techniques to convey shadow and texture, with a monochromatic palette emphasizing light and dark contrasts. The scene depicts a moment of industrious activity in a port setting.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Bert Freidus

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed within plate mark): 12.9 x 12.7 cm (5 1/16 x 5 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1998.63.7

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    De Vesme/Massar 1971, no. 747, State ii/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(André Candillier, Paris); purchased 1998 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1906

  • Vesme, Alexandre de (Baudi di Vesme, Alessandro). Le peintre-graveur italien; ouvrage faisant suite au peintre-graveur de Bartsch. Milan: Ulrico Hoepli, 1906: no.747.

1971

  • De Vesme, Alexandre, Phyllis Dearborn Massar.Stefano Della Bella. New York, 1971: no.747.

2001

  • Talbierska, Jolanta.AKWAFORTY ZE ZBIOROW GABINETU RYCIN BIBLIOTEKI UNIWERSYTECKIEJ W WARSZAWIE / Etchings from the Collection of the Print Room of the Warsaw University Library. Warsaw, 2001: 163, no.119.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: Stef. Della Bella fecit. 1656.; lower right in plate (on barrel): SDB (in monogram); by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: de V.-M. 747/IIl by later hand, center verso in graphite: 4

Wikidata ID

Q75420989

You may be interested in

Loading Results