S. Béninge, martyr (St. Benignus, Martyr), from November 1st, from "Les Images De Tous Les Saincts et Saintes de L'Année" (Images of All of the Saints and Religious Events of the Year)

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching, *S. Béninge, martyr (St. Benus, Martyr)*, depicts the November 1st saint from Jacques Callot's renowned series *Les Images de Tous les Saincts etes de L'Année* (Images of All Saints and Religious Events of Year), published posthumously in 1636 by Israël Henriet. Callot a master of 17th-century French printmaking, captures St. Benignus—a lesser-known early Christian martyr—in a compact scene rich with Baroque drama. Created just after Callot's death in 1635, the series reflects the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on vivid hagiography, making saints accessible for devotional calendars and prayer books across Catholic Europe. Measuring a mere 2 9/16 x 1 15/16 inches, this second state etching (per Lieure's catalog) showcases Callot's virtuosic technique: fine, intricate lines etched into a metal plate with acid, allowing extraordinary detail in such a tiny format. His style blends Mannerist elegance with emerging Baroque intensity, evident in the saint's expressive pose and subtle textures. Printed on a small scale, these works were affordable and portable, ideal for personal piety during an era of religious fervor and conflict like the Thirty Years' War. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (purchased via the Joseph Pulitzer Bequest in 1917), it invites us to marvel at how art distilled faith into intimate masterpieces, bridging devotion and artistry for everyday believers.

About the Artist

Israël Henriet|Jacques Callot · 1585–1661

Israël Henriet (c. 1590–1661) stands as one of the most important figures in 17th-century French printmaking, not only as an accomplished engraver in his own right but as the principal publisher and preserver of Jacques Callot's extraordinary legacy. Born in Nancy, Lorraine, around 1590, Henriet belonged to an artistic family and grew up as a childhood friend of Callot, the preeminent printmaker o...