St. Paul (1631)

Jacques Callot prints pack whole worlds into a few square inches. Callot, an etcher from Lorraine, drew commedia dell'arte dancers, beggars on crutches, travelling gypsies, bustling fairs and the festivals of the Medici court with wit and astonishing detail. He changed the craft of etching for good. Our collection of fine art prints includes his best-loved series, from the Balli di Sfessania to The Fair at Impruneta.

About Jacques Callot

Jacques Callot was born in Nancy, capital of the independent Duchy of Lorraine, in 1592. He trained as an engraver in Rome and from about 1612 to 1621 worked in Florence for the Medici, recording the tournaments, carnival parades, theatre sets and state funerals of Cosimo II's court.

In 1621 he returned to Nancy, where he spent the rest of his life and produced his great series, with trips to Paris around 1629–31 for views of the city and its sieges. He died in Nancy on 24 March 1635, in his early forties.

Callot made more than 1,400 etchings, and over 2,000 of his drawings survive, but no paintings by him are known. His Miseries and Misfortunes of War (1633), a stark record of soldiers' cruelty, later influenced Goya.

Style and Subjects

Callot liked to work in series: sets of small plates showing one kind of person after another, sold together as albums. His figures are slim, elegant and full of movement, often large in the foreground with tiny crowds and landscapes behind.

He was a great technical inventor. His hard varnish ground and the échoppe, an etching needle with an oval tip, let him draw swelling, tapering lines like an engraver's, and allowed him to bite plates several times for depth. The result is sharp, delicate and full of life, even at a tiny scale.

Famous Works

• The Fair at Impruneta (1620). A whole village fair seen from above, with stalls, gamblers, pilgrims and quarrels to find.
• Balli di Sfessania: Scaramucia and Fricasso (c. 1621). Two commedia dell'arte players dancing, from his series of masked comedians.
• Balli di Sfessania: Captain Mala Gamba and Captain Bellavita (c. 1621). Two swaggering captains of the comedy stage.
• The Beggars: Frontispiece (1622). The opening plate of Les Gueux, his set of ragged street figures.
• The Gypsies: The Departure (1621). A band of travellers on the road with horses, carts and children.
• The Nobility of Lorraine: Gentleman in a Fur-Trimmed Cloak (1620–1623). Fashion at the ducal court of Lorraine.
• Varie Figure Gobbi: Frontispiece (c. 1621). His set of dwarf musicians and grotesques.
• The Gondreville Fair. A country fair in Lorraine.

Decorating with Callot Prints

Callot's small, detailed etchings are best where people can look closely: a hallway, a study, a library or beside a reading chair. A row of commedia dell'arte dancers in thin black frames makes a playful set for a music room or entryway.

The Fair at Impruneta deserves a wall of its own, perhaps above a desk, where its crowds can be explored. His beggars, gypsies and nobles look handsome grouped in matching frames with generous white mounts, which help the tiny figures breathe.

FAQ

Who was Jacques Callot?

Jacques Callot (1592–1635) was a printmaker and draughtsman from Nancy in the Duchy of Lorraine, one of the greatest etchers in history.

What is Jacques Callot's most famous work?

The Fair at Impruneta (1620) and The Miseries and Misfortunes of War (1633) are his best-known prints, along with series such as the Balli di Sfessania and The Beggars.

What did Callot change in etching?

He used a hard varnish ground and the échoppe, a needle with an oval tip, which let him make swelling lines and bite plates in stages. These methods spread across Europe.

Did Callot paint?

No paintings by him are known. He made more than 1,400 etchings, and over 2,000 drawings survive.

Where can I see Callot's prints?

The Musée lorrain in Nancy, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the British Museum and the Rijksmuseum all hold his work.

Related Artists

• Stefano della Bella: Florentine etcher who followed closely in his footsteps
• Jacques Bellange: etcher of the Lorraine court before him
• Claude Deruet: Lorraine court painter and his contemporary
• Wenceslaus Hollar: etcher of the next generation
• Francisco de Goya: whose war prints were influenced by Callot