A hunting trophy: a quiver, two arrows, two bows, a deer head, two dogs, two spears, and the head of Diana at top, from 'Ornaments or Grotesques' (Ornamenti o Grottesche) 1650 - 1656

Stefano della Bella created this engraving, "A hunting trophy," sometime in the mid-17th century. The elongated, vertical composition draws the eye upward through a carefully arranged collection of hunting symbols. Notice how della Bella constructs a complex yet balanced image using symmetry and repetition. The bows, arrows, and dogs mirror each other, framing the central axis of the quiver and deer head. Ribbons weave throughout, softening the harshness of the hunting implements and adding dynamism. At the apex, Diana, goddess of the hunt, oversees the arrangement, her presence a symbolic culmination of the trophies below. The "grotesque" title hints at the era’s fascination with distortion and the blending of forms. By elevating hunting trophies to an art form, della Bella questions conventional hierarchies and invites us to reconsider the aesthetics of violence and power.