Duellist with Sword and Dagger
c. 1622
Medium
etching and engraving//one of three prints on uncut sheet of Lorrainese paper (1949.5.254.a-c)
Dimensions
plate: 6.3 × 8.5 cm (2 1/2 × 3 3/8 in.) sheet: 18.9 × 17.5 cm (7 7/16 × 6 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1949.5.254.b
Art Historical Context
Step into the thrilling world of 17th-century dueling with Jacques Callot *Duellist with Sword and Dagger* (c. 1622), a masterful etching and engraving from National Gallery of Art'swald Collection. This diminutive print—one of three on an uncut sheet of rare Lorrainese paper hailing from Callot's native Lorraine region—measures just 6.3 × 8.5 cm on the plate yet bursts with intricate detail. Callot, a Baroque printmaking genius, captured the poised intensity of a swordsman armed with rapier and parrying dagger, evoking the chivalric yet deadly culture of European nobility. Callot's revolutio...
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...