Artwork
Fantastic Vases
Fantastic Vases is an ink print by the Baroque artist Stefano Della Bella. It dates from 1646 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1646, *Fantastic Vases* is an etching on laid paper by Stefano della Bella, an Italian printmaker active in the mid‑seventeenth century. The work belongs to his prolific output of over a thousand prints, which encompassed a broad range of subjects from battles to everyday scenes.
Subject & Meaning
The composition presents six elaborately designed vases, each filled with a profusion of flowers. The vessels assume imaginative forms—some resemble shells, others appear as stacked bowls with ornamental handles—and small putti emerge from a few, adding a playful, decorative element to the scene.
Technique & Style
Executed through the etching process, della Bella incised fine lines into a metal plate, producing the intricate, high‑contrast black‑and‑white image. The meticulous rendering of foliage, curvature of the vessels, and delicate figures demonstrates his command of line work and his preference for ornate, decorative motifs.
History & Provenance
The print was produced during della Bella’s mature period, shortly before his death in 1664. It circulated as part of his extensive series of prints, which were widely collected in the seventeenth‑century European market and later entered museum holdings.
Context
*Fantastic Vases* reflects the Baroque fascination with elaborate ornamentation and the blending of natural and fantastical elements. Della Bella’s interest in decorative subjects aligns with contemporary tastes for intricate prints that could be displayed as both artistic and decorative objects.
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.
![The Flight into Egypt [verso], by Stefano Della Bella](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/stefano-della-bella--the-flight-into-egypt-verso--3a100db72e6d25e3-w320.webp)
