Entry of M. de Couvonage and M. de Chalabre, from The Combat at the Barrier
1627
Medium
Etching in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 15.4 × 24.3 cm (6 1/8 × 9 5/8 in.); Sheet: 17.4 × 25.9 cm (6 7/8 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
78987
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Jacques Callot’s etchings are at their most theatrical in this hellish parade image, drawing on earlier subjects by the artists. Callot produced an earlier version of this scene, printed in reverse, which, at half the size of the current image, was too small for The Combat at the Barrier, a book published for the Medici celebration in 1627. Instead, impressions of this plate were handed out to participants in the festival itself as souvenirs.
About the Artist
Jacques Callot · 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...