Défaite de la Cavalerie Turque (Defeat of the Turkish Cavalry), from La Vie de Ferdinand Ier de Médicis série appelée aussi Les Batailles des Médicis (The Life of Ferdinand I de'Medici also called The Medici Battles)
Medium
Engraving; first state of two (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 7/8 x 12 3/16 in. (22.5 x 30.9 cm) Plate: 9 3/16 x 11 7/8 in. (23.4 x 30.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957
Accession Number
57.650.363(8)
Art Historical Context
**Défaite de la Cavalerie Turque (Defeat of the Turkish Cavalry)**, created between 1614 and 1620, is a dynamic engraving from the series *La Vie de Ferdinand Ier de Médicis* (The Life of Ferdinand I de' Medici), also known as *Les Batailles des Médicis*. This collaborative work features designs by the Florentine painter Matteo Rosselli and masterful engraving by Jacques Callot, the renowned French printmaker celebrated for his intricate battle scenes. The first state of two impressions, it captures a pivotal moment of Medici triumph, showcasing cavalry charges amid swirling chaos on the battl...
About the Artist
Jacques Callot|Matteo Rosselli · 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...