Plate 10: Elephant, from "Various animals" (Diversi animali)

A large elephant stands in profile facing left, its trunk curled downward and tusks visible, rendered in fine crosshatched etched lines. A smaller elephant appears at the right edge, partly hidden, and a low hill sits in the distance. The shading is light and the outlines are crisp, giving the animal weight and texture.

Look closer: A small monogram-like signature in the lower right corner, with the plate number 10 in the lower left.

Artist

Stefano della Bella

Date

ca. 1641

Medium

Etching; third state of three (De Vesme)

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3390 × 2603 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Grace M. Pugh, 1985