Cicho Sgarra and Collo Francisco
c. 1622
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 7 × 9.2 cm (2 3/4 × 3 5/8 in.) sheet: 9.4 × 11.7 cm (3 11/16 × 4 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
R.L. Baumfeld Collection
Accession Number
1969.15.409
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *Cicho Sgarra and Collo Francisco* (c. 1622) is a captivating small-scale etching on laid paper, measuring just 7 × 9.2 cm on the plate. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's R. Baumfeld Collection, print exemplifies the intimate format favored by collectors in the early 17th century, allowing for intricate details visible up close. Renowned French etcher Jacques Callot, a key figure in the Baroque, mastered the etching technique to produce remarkably fine lines and textures with astonishing precision. Working in Italy and France, he often depicted theatrical characters, be...
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...