Meditations on the Villa di Pratolino: The Etchings of Stefano Della Bella in the Collection of the Academy of San Carlos

Abstract

This article studies the 1653 etching series Vedute della Villa di Pratolino a Firenze by the Italian engraver Stefano Della Bella, which forms part of that portion of the collection of the Academy of San Carlos held by the National Autonomous University of Mexico´s Faculty of Arts and Design. The purpose of this article is to analyze the process of its acquisition by the institution, as well as the immortalization in these engravings of an ephemeral, fragile moment in the history of its gardens.