Ste. Praxède, vierge (St. Praxede, Virgin), July 21st, 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

**Ste. Praxède, vierge (St. Praxede, Virgin), 21st** This delicate etching depicts St. Praede, a 2nd-century Roman virgin revered for her piety and burial of Christian martyrs during persecutions. Created by master printmaker Jacques Callot and by Israël Henriet in 1636, it forms part of the devotional series *Les Images De Les Saincts et Saint de L'Année*—a comprehensive calendar of saints and religious feasts tailored for the liturgical year. At just 2 9/16 x 1 15/16 inches, its intimate scale made it ideal for personal prayer books or portable piety in 17th-century Catholic homes. Callot, a Baroque innovator from Lorraine, excelled in etching's fine lines to capture intricate details, such as the saint's flowing robes and serene expression, in this second state of two (per Lieure cataloguing), likely refined for clarity. Etching allowed precise, reproducible imagery, democratizing religious art amid the Counter-Reformation's push for visual devotion. Produced in France during Louis XIII's reign, it reflects the era's fervent Catholicism. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917), this print highlights women's roles in hagiography, blending historical reverence with Callot's technical brilliance for enduring spiritual inspiration.

About the Artist

Jacques Callot|Israël Henriet · 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...