Twee keer hetzelfde hoofd van een soldaat met helm in profiel naar links

Stefano della Bella etched this image, “Two times the same head of a soldier with helmet in profile to the left," sometime in the mid-seventeenth century. Della Bella, an Italian printmaker working in Florence and Paris, shows us two studies of the same soldier’s head; the image itself is a study in contrasts. On the left, the etching is spare, clean, and classical. On the right, the etching is more baroque, with complex shading and detail. Della Bella subtly acknowledges both the classical and baroque styles that defined the art world of his time. This work, now in the Rijksmuseum, provides us with a window into the institutional art world of 17th century Europe. The presence of text indicating the King's privilege suggests how printmaking relied on patronage and legal protection. Understanding the complex social and legal contexts in which art is made is critical to the work of the art historian.