Duel with Swords and Daggers
c. 1617
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 5.4 × 8 cm (2 1/8 × 3 1/8 in.) sheet: 6.5 × 9.3 cm (2 9/16 × 3 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1949.5.124
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *Duel with Swords and Daggers* (c. 1617) is a captivating etching on laid paper, measuring just 5.4 × 8 cm on the plate—a testament to the artist's mastery of miniature drama. Working in the Baroque era, Callot, a French printmaker active in Florence, excelled at capturing dynamic scenes of human conflict and spectacle. This small print, part of his early series exploring combat, buzzes with energy as two figures clash in a fierce duel, swords and daggers flashing in a whirlwind of motion. Etching allowed Callot to achieve extraordinary detail in such a compact format, using ...
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...