Young Woman Trying to Stop a Bull 1655 - 1665

Editor: This is Stefano della Bella's etching, "Young Woman Trying to Stop a Bull," created sometime between 1655 and 1665. The fine lines making up the composition are just stunning. What strikes me most is the texture— the bull's fur, the woman’s drapery – you can almost feel them. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It’s interesting you’re drawn to the textural quality. The very process of etching, the artist manipulating the metal plate with acid, allowed for a level of detail not easily achieved in other printmaking methods. This image becomes less about depicting some ideal beauty and more about the artist’s skillful labor, his specific technique shaping what we see. What kind of labor do you imagine went into the clothes the woman is wearing, and where did they come from? Editor: Hmm, that makes me think beyond just the surface of the image. I guess I was thinking of it only as a classical scene. So, if we consider materials, are you saying this etching subtly reveals things like trade routes and production processes involved in the woman’s dress, the tools to subdue the animal and even the pigments to create the work of art? Curator: Precisely. And think about the consumption of these images. Prints like this circulated widely. They became accessible commodities that informed people’s understanding of the world. Do you think this widespread distribution would give the print currency as an aesthetic or economic item, something valuable itself? Editor: I hadn’t really considered the economic or social dimensions. This close look at materials and processes gives me a totally different appreciation for it. Thank you! Curator: Yes, understanding how things were made allows us to consider who controlled the making and whose interests were at play in 17th-century Italian culture. Food for thought.