Designs from the series Ornamenti o Grottesche

Decorative designs formed a major part of Stefano della Bella’s oeuvre. Lavish ornaments in a rich variety of forms were highly esteemed not only at the time of their making, but in the 18th century, too, when they had a fundamental influence on the work of rococo artists. In these minor artworks, della Bella elaborated with unprecedented fantasy the favoured motifs - camels, animal trophies and Death - to which he returned all his life.