# Equestrian Ballet in the Amphitheater of the Boboli Gardens

**Stefano della Bella** (Italian, 1610–1664)  
1661  
Etching on ivory laid paper  
Image/plate: 29.2 × 44.5 cm (11 1/2 × 17 9/16 in.); Sheet: 39.2 × 54.8 cm (15 7/16 × 21 5/8 in.)

Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1995.28. [The museum's record](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/137054).

## About this work

In the amphitheatre of the Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace in Florence, horsemen perform an elaborate equestrian ballet before crowds of spectators. The spectacle, called Il mondo festeggiante, was staged in 1661 to celebrate the marriage of the future grand duke Cosimo III de’ Medici to Marguerite-Louise d’Orléans, and Stefano della Bella recorded it in this large etching, packed with tiny, lively figures. Prints like this spread the fame of Medici court festivals across Europe.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Stefano della Bella made this in 1661, aged 51. It is now at the Art Institute of Chicago.

### What you’re looking at

A work made of etching on ivory laid paper.

_Description from the Art Institute of Chicago._

### How it was made

- **Etching.** The artist draws with a needle through a waxy coating on a copper plate, and acid bites the exposed lines. The plate is then inked, wiped and printed under pressure, so the line keeps the freedom of drawing.
- **Laid paper.** Handmade on a mould of close-set wires, which leave fine parallel lines you can see when the sheet is held to the light.

### [Stefano della Bella](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/stefano-della-bella)

Italian, 1610–1664

Della Bella trained in Florence and became one of the finest etchers of the seventeenth century, working for the Medici and drawing inspiration from Jacques Callot. He spent about ten years in Paris from 1639, working for publishers and the court, before returning to Florence. His more than a thousand etchings range from festivals and theatre spectacles to landscapes, animals and ornament, drawn with a light, lively needle.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Print
- Culture: Italy
- The artist was 51
- Real size: about 11 × 17 in (29 × 44 cm). The 12 × 16 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 17th century
- Movement: [Baroque](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/baroque)
- Colour: white
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/320.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/320/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/equestrian-ballet-in-the-amphitheater-of-the-boboli-gardens-aic-137054).