drawing
- Museum number
- 1880,0710.728
- Description
-
Studies of a woman; seated and standing, one seen from behind, wearing a Flemish 'huyck' (head-dress to attach a cloak)
Pen and brown ink, over graphite
- Production date
- 1647
- Dimensions
-
Height: 97 millimetres
-
Width: 129 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- The inscription records that this was made in Arras, a town in northern France on the border between France and Holland. This, and two other similar drawings in the BM, have traditionally (eg. by de Vesme, introduction and cat.880) been linked with della Bella's visit to Arras in 1640 on commission from Cardinal Richelieu to record the siege and capture of the city (see F.Viatte, 'Dessins de SdB', Louvre 1974, p.79). But the subjects of these drawings are hardly relevant to the siege, and as Jaco Rutgers has recently elucidated, the artist definitely went to Holland in 1647 as he inscribed two drawings of female figures (Trinity Fine Arts, London): 'Anabatiste d'Alanda' (Anabaptists from Holland) and 'Aalckmaer 6 maggio 1647' (Rutgers figs. 2 and 3), and this is a more likley date for the BM drawings. Another drawing inscribed 'Anversa' (Antwerp) was sold at Christie's, 18 March 1975, lot 48 (recently with Galeria de La Scala, Paris in 2008; 'Dessins et Tableaux du 16ème au 20ème siècle', 2008, no. 11).
Lit.: J. Rutgers, 'De reid van Stefano della Bella (1610-1664) naar Holland', "Incontri", 22, 2, 2007, p. 137, n. 14
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1880
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1880,0710.728