Stefano Della Bella

Stephano della Bella was born into an artistic family in Florence in 1610. His father, Francesco, was a sculptor, and his older brothers were artists as well, working in metalsmithing, painting, and sculpting. della Bella's father died when he was three, making it necessary for the boys in the family to find work early in life. He was first apprenticed to a goldsmith, then a painter, and finally an etcher. In 1627, the young artist published his first print when he was just 17 years old. He dedicated the print to the young Prince Gian Carlo de Medici, clearly pursuing the powerful family for patronage. Between 1627 and 1633, Gian Carlo's uncle, Don Lorenzo de Medici, agreed to sponsor della Bella, providing him with a monthly stipend and money to travel to Rome for further training. Scholar Phyllis Massar notes, in the della Bella Catalogue Raisonné, that a 1634 Medici list of employees records della Bella between the stablemaster and the bottler, each of whom got 20 times or more the stipend awarded to the artist (De Vesme and Massar, 6). Despite this early lack of funds, he would grow to fame and fortune in his lifetime, taking a number of trips to Rome and working in Paris from 1639 – 1650. After his successful sojourn in France, the printmaker returned to Florence and lived there until his death in 1664.