The Grand Duke Fortifies the Port of Livorno, from The Life of Ferdinando I de’ Medici
1616/20
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet, trimmed to plate: 22.3 × 30.3 cm (8 13/16 × 11 15/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
50258
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Ferdinando I of Tuscany sits beneath an umbrella held by an attendant. At right, an engineer presents him with a model of the fortifications for the harbor of Livorno. The duke points at the construction already underway: in the background, workers appear busily wielding tools and carrying heavy loads on their backs. Jacques Callot rendered this work through engraving, though he is most known for his etchings made with an echoppe, a special tool he is credited with inventing. The echoppe has an...
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...