Antonio Zingano, from Scelta d'Alcuni Miracoli e Grazie della Santissima Nunziata di Firenze (Selection of Some Miracles and Graces that Occurred in the Church of the Annunziata in Florence)

Art Historical Context

This delicate engraving, titled *Antonio Zingano* from Jacques Callot and Matteo Rosselli's *elta d'Alcuniacoli e Grazie della Sant Nunziata di Firenze (Selection of Some Miracles Graces of the Santissima Annunziata Florence), captures a moment of divine intervention from 1611–19. during the early Baroque era, it belongs to a series documenting miraculous events at Florence's renowned Church of the Annunzi, a pilgrimage site famed for its miraculous fresco of the Virgin Mary. These prints served as devotional aids, spreading tales of healing and grace to inspire faith among the faithful. French-born master engraver Jacques Callot, renowned for his intricate, narrative-driven works, collaborated with Florentine painter Matteo Rosselli, who likely provided the design. Executed in the second state of two (per Lieure's catalog), this 5¼ × 3¼-inch sheet exemplifies Callot's virtuosic technique: fine, expressive lines that convey drama and emotion in miniature scale. Engravings like this were revolutionary for their reproducibility, allowing widespread dissemination of religious iconography during the Counter-Reformation, when the Catholic Church emphasized visual piety. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Rogers Fund, 1962), it offers a window into 17th-century Italian spirituality and the artistry of printmaking as a bridge between elite painting and popular devotion.

About the Artist

Jacques Callot|Matteo Rosselli · 1592–1635

Jacques Callot (1592–1635) was a French printmaker and draftsman from the Duchy of Lorraine, widely regarded as one of the first great artists to practice the graphic arts exclusively. His more than 1,400 etchings chronicled the breadth of 17th-century life, from Medici court festivities to the brutal realities of warfare. Callot revolutionized etching through technical innovations including the é...