373 - Stefano della Bella - Military Convoy Descending a Hill - c.1641

Stefano della Bella - Military Convoy Descending a Hill - c.1641 Description: Etching from the series Varii Capricii Militari, comprising six numbered plates. Plate 1, a military convoy makes its way down a slope, with carts heavily laden with the army’s baggage moving towards the left. In the foreground, the carcass of a horse provides a stark counterpoint to the movement of the procession. Published in this state by François Langlois, called Ciartres. The series was formerly dated by De Vesme to around 1646; Massar subsequently proposed an earlier date of circa 1641, based on references in the publisher’s records of 1640 and 1641 that can be associated with the series. Dimensions: 8,80 x 14 cm Condition: Excellent impression on laid paper from the period, trimmed on the image borderline. Places of paper weakness reinforced from the verso, with traces of old hinges on the verso. Overall in very good condition. Literature: De Vesme/Massar 1971 / Stefano della Bella (258.I) Medium: Etching Date: c.1641