Artwork
Figure Leading a Horse
Figure Leading a Horse is an ink drawing by the Baroque artist Stefano Della Bella. It dates from 1637 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Figure Leading a Horse is a 1637 drawing by Stefano della Bella, an Italian artist known for his etchings and drawings. The work is executed in pen and brown ink over graphite with gray gouache on laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a person in a loose robe leading a horse by its reins. The subject is rendered in quick, expressive lines, with the person's head turned and the horse's body captured in a few confident strokes.
Technique & Style
The artist employed a range of techniques, including graphite underdrawing, pen and ink, and gray gouache. The use of laid paper is evident in the faint grid visible beneath the drawing. The brown ink has a faded quality, while the gouache adds opaque accents.
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)
a) Studies of Figures and a Hand (recto); b) Studies of a Bull (verso)
Four Horsemen
Fragment of a Lion Bas-Relief (verso)![Statue of Alexander and Bucephalus [recto], by Hubert Robert](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/hubert-robert--statue-of-alexander-and-bucephalus-recto--d9a688cc8df08f18-w320.webp)
Statue of Alexander and Bucephalus [recto]
A Soldier on Horseback and Other Studies
Sketches of Animals (verso)
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian
The Angel Appearing to Hagar in the Desert (recto)
Allegorical Figure (recto)