L'Officier Tenant son Épée Horizontale (The Officer Holding his Sword Horizontally), from Varie Figure (Various Figures), plate 13
ca. 1620
Medium
Etching; third state of three (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/8 x 3 9/16 in. (8.6 x 9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.3708
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *L'Officier Tenant Épée Horizont* (The Officer Holding Sword Horizontally), plate13 from the series *Varie Figure* (Various Figures), captures a poised military figure in a compact etching from around 1620. This French master printmaker, active during the Baroque era, was renowned for his intricate line work and ability to convey movement and character in miniature formats. The small sheet (just 3 3/8 x 3 9/16 inches) exemplifies Callot's skill in producing detailed, collectible prints that appealed to 17th-century connoisseurs across Europe. As the third and final state of the plate (per Lieure's catalog), this impression reflects Callot's meticulous refinement process, where he burnished and added lines for greater depth and contrast. Etching allowed him to achieve unprecedented delicacy, blending realism with theatrical flair—hallmarks of his style influenced by his time in Italian courts. Created amid the looming Thirty Years' War, the officer's dynamic pose evokes the era's martial culture, serving as both a study in costume and posture. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), this work highlights Callot's legacy in popularizing affordable, high-art prints. Visitors can appreciate how such intimate pieces brought vivid scenes of soldiers and performers into private collections, bridging art and everyday fascination with the world's diverse figures.
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...