A woman in profile pulling back on a rope tied around the horns of a young bull 1660

Curator: Ah, there she is. Stefano della Bella’s, "A woman in profile pulling back on a rope tied around the horns of a young bull," circa 1660. Quite the scene, wouldn't you say? Editor: Striking. I’m immediately struck by the dress billowing around her, that line radiating outwards… feels almost… forceful. Like she's not just controlling the bull, but also bending the air around her to her will. What exactly am I looking at, material-wise? Curator: Well, this would have been made through a really interesting and meticulous etching process. Della Bella created this image by incising lines into a metal plate, applying ink, and then transferring it to paper using a press. In that era it was a real testament to a specific set of printmaking and design skill sets. The nuances of line weight and detail come through so clearly! Editor: Yes, exactly. The quality of line and mark-making gives the drawing such immediacy. How fascinating that what appears visually fluid emerges from labor and industrial processing that involved sharp and highly corrosive materials. Also interesting is that it looks like there were no preparatory drawings, according to records. Why represent this kind of encounter, and produce it in multiples? Curator: Oh, that's where it gets fun. Look at her profile. Isn’t she just radiant? There's an underlying drama and even, dare I say, tenderness? This wasn't a random bull. The image, produced as multiples for consumption, plays at the drama of conquest but ultimately evokes the relationship between the sexes; she commands his respect even as she guides him. I mean, it whispers volumes, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed, there’s that tension between strength and… softness. Her drapery, the way it softens the raw assertion of power…it all gestures to social dynamics around luxury and authority. Who produced this etching? And who consumed the art in those days? It would be interesting to do the deep archival dive! Curator: Della Bella, I think, has captured the essence of a relationship where respect and even love become forms of command, and isn't that how we often find ourselves entwined in life? But thinking about the marketplace as an act of creating value or taste...now you're opening a real Pandora's Box! Editor: True enough! It shows that an etching seemingly of mythology provides so many possibilities when we look closely at labor, the work and history that created it. Thanks for illuminating so much for me. Curator: The pleasure's all mine. May our journey together continue to surprise us!