Rembarquement des Troupes (Embarkation of Troops), 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, created between 1614 and 1620, belongs to Jacques Callot’s celebrated series *The Life of Ferdinand I de’ Medici*, also known as *The Medici Battles*. Working after designs by Matteo Rosselli, Callot captures a pivotal moment of troop embarkation, likely tied to Ferdinand’s naval campaigns against Mediterranean pirates. The print’s modest scale—roughly 9 by 12 inches—belies the remarkable detail Callot achieved through the engraving process. Callot, a master of seventeenth-century printmaking, used the medium’s precision to convey both grand military spectacle and intimate human activity. Rows of soldiers, fluttering banners, and bustling ships animate the scene, reflecting the era’s growing interest in documentary-style battle imagery. Produced in Florence during Callot’s years at the Medici court, the work served to glorify Tuscan power while demonstrating the artist’s innovative technique of layering fine lines to suggest depth and movement. As the first state of two, this impression preserves Callot’s original vision before later revisions. Today it offers viewers a vivid window into early modern warfare and the sophisticated print culture that helped spread Medici prestige across Europe.

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...