A Pole Holding a Horse by the Bridle 1657 - 1667

Curator: Stefano della Bella’s etching, titled "A Pole Holding a Horse by the Bridle," made sometime between 1657 and 1667, captures a scene from a bygone era. Editor: It's striking how much detail he achieves with just a few lines. There's an immediacy, almost like a snapshot. A very intimate glance at the men and horses of the baroque era. Curator: Della Bella, celebrated for his skill with etching, seems to be channeling the genre paintings of his time. We see these figures—the Pole and the horse but also some other men in the background—presented in a way that emphasizes the trappings of rank. Note the fashionable dress and the careful rendering of the horse’s harness and feathers. Editor: It’s intriguing to me that it’s called "A Pole" instead of "The Pole." As if his identity is somehow interchangeable. This is especially potent because of the baroque use of portraiture as symbols of power and social class. Is Della Bella implying some kind of deeper meaning? Curator: You bring up a fascinating point, since symbols can tell the complex story of a shifting identity through art and portraiture. Maybe his name or individual significance matters less than his archetype, as an exotic figure, perhaps part of a larger diplomatic or military engagement. His social class on full display. Editor: The work highlights this tension of individuality and how much it relates to collective power. How important he might be—or is, or will be. Especially knowing this was done during the baroque, and especially how that affected European politics and identity. Curator: I would argue it’s about the moment he's trying to capture more than the men themselves. There’s something in the temporality here, maybe even fleeting nature of identity, as an observation of the past. Editor: So, seeing this figure captured, frozen in time and space—perhaps just reminds us of that impermanence. An almost brutal and existential capture of class and hierarchy that are still very relevant to this day. It does not hurt anyone to consider. Curator: Perhaps in those fleeting moments of visibility, Stefano della Bella makes you ponder that which exists far beyond any kind of identity, even something to take to heart and remember beyond just a genre scene. Editor: An identity is never that easy to capture in the first place.