Duel with Swords
c. 1622
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 5.9 × 8 cm (2 5/16 × 3 1/8 in.) sheet: 7.3 × 10.2 cm (2 7/8 × 4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
R.L. Baumfeld Collection
Accession Number
1969.15.473
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *Duel with Swords* (c. 1622) is a captivating etching on laid paper, measuring just 5.9 × 8 cm on the plate—a testament to the artist's extraordinary skill in rendering intricate drama on a minuscule scale. Working in the Baroque era, Callot (1592–1635), a French printmaker who spent much of his career in Florence under Medici patronage, mastered etching to produce highly detailed scenes of everyday life, theater, and conflict. This print, from the National Gallery of's R.L. Baumfeld Collection, exemplifies his ability to pack narrative energy into pocket-sized works. The sce...
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...