Défaite de la Cavalerie Turque (Defeat of the Turkish Cavalry), from La Vie de Ferdinand Ier de Médicis série appelée aussi Les Batailles des Médicis (The Life of Ferdinand I de'Medici also called The Medici Battles)

Art Historical Context

This engraving captures a dramatic between European and Ottoman forces titled *Défaite la Cavalerie Tur* (Defeat the Turkish Cavalry). Created between 1614 1620 by Jacquesot after designs by Rosselli, it belongs the series *La de Ferdinand Ier de Médis*, which celebrates the military exploits Ferdinand I, Grand Duke Tuscany. The work the Medici court’s efforts project strength and piety art that glorified their naval against Ottoman and Barb forces in the Mediterranean. ot, renowned for his precise and dynamicmaking, used engraving to intricate details of charging, fallen soldiers, and dust, bringing a of movement and tension to scene. As the first state of two impressions, this print reflects the technical refinements in early seventeenth-century etching and engraving. Such works were not only artistic achievements but also tools of political propaganda, allowing the Medici victories to reach a wider European audience through reproducible prints. Housed in Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, the piece offers viewers a window into the era’s conflicts and the power of print to shape historical memory.

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...