Duel with Swords
c. 1622
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 5.5 × 8.1 cm (2 3/16 × 3 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1949.5.123
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *Duel with Swords*, created around 1622, captures the intensity of 17th combat in a remarkably compact etching. A master printmaker from Lorraine, France, Callot (1592–1635) was renowned for his Baroque-era works that blended intricate detail with dramatic storytelling. This piece likely draws from the era's culture of honor-bound duels, prevalent among European nobility amid political tensions leading to the Thirty Years' War. At just 5.5 × 8.1 cm, it exemplifies Callot's skill in miniaturizing epic scenes, inviting viewers to lean in and discover layered narratives of rivalr...
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...