Combat at the foot of a tower
1635–60
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Plate: 8 3/8 × 13 3/16 in. (21.3 × 33.5 cm) Sheet: 9 5/8 × 14 3/8 in. (24.4 × 36.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1957
Accession Number
57.581.10
Art Historical Context
Jacques Courtois, known as *il Borgognone*, *Combat at the Foot of a Tower* between1635 and 1660, a dynamic etching that captures the chaos of battle in intricate detail. This 17th-century print depicts a fierce skirmish unfolding beneath a towering structure, with soldiers clashing in a whirlwind of swords, horses, and dust. Measuring about 8⅜ × 13¼ inches on the plate, its compact scale belies the intensity of the scene, making it ideal for close study. As a leading Baroque artist specializing in military subjects, Courtois drew from his experiences in Italy, where he worked after fleeing w...
About the Artist
Jacques Courtois · 1621–1676
A specialist in battle paintings, he also painted religious and other scenes. As a teenager, Courtois left France for Italy with his young brother, Guillaume. He drew military campaigns, then studied in Bologna, Florence, and Siena, arriving in Rome by 1638. He worked primarily in Italy. He joined the Jesuit order in 1657.