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Stefano della Bella

Stag Hunt in Fan Shape

1630/60
Fan-shaped etching in black on ivory laid paper
23.5 × 45 cm (9.3 × 17.7 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Stefano della Bella made several printed fans that were meant to be cut out, mounted, and used, an application inspired by a fan Jacques Callot made in 1619 for the Medici family. A unique example in a canonical folding fan shape depicts a stag hunt. This undated proof is trimmed just outside the platemark, showing that the plate was cut to follow the shape of the accessory it depicted. The lively intertwining of the floral wreaths along the borders and around the main action emphasizes the sense of three-dimensionality that would result when the print was fully constructed.

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