# Title Page for "Ornamenti di fregi e fogliani"

**Stefano della Bella** (Italian, 1610–1664)  
probably 1648  
etching

Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1944.5.146. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.30492.html).

## About this work

Stefano della Bella made this (probably 1648), aged 38. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

### What you’re looking at

This is a drawing of mythical sea creatures in a marine landscape. The central figures are depicted as mythical beings, possibly mermen, with human torsos and fish-like tails, partially submerged in water. One figure prominently holds a large seashell with text written on it. Around them are various other marine creatures and features such as a distant rocky shore, birds flying in the sky, and waves creating a dynamic setting. The drawing is detailed in line work.

_Description from the National Gallery of Art._

### 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.

### [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
- The artist was 38
- Century: 17th century
- Subjects: Water, Shell, Female figure, Figures, Monster
- 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/1459.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1459/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

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/title-page-for-ornamenti-di-fregi-e-fogliani-nga-30492).