Frontispiece for Callot's "The Mysteries of the Passion"
c. 1631
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 8.7 × 7.8 cm (3 7/16 × 3 1/16 in.) sheet: 10.8 × 12.2 cm (4 1/4 × 4 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
R.L. Baumfeld Collection
Accession Number
1969.15.892
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Abraham Bosse's *Frontispiece for Call's "The Mysteries of Passion"* (c. 1631) is a delicate etching on laid paper, measuring just 8.7 × 7.8 cm on the plate. As a frontispiece, it serves as the elegant introductory image for Jacques Callot's renowned series of prints depicting scenes from Christ's Passion—key moments of suffering and redemption central to Christian devotion during the Baroque era. Bosse, a leading French printmaker and student of the techniques popularized by Callot, captures intricate drama of religious narrative in this small-scale work. His etching process, involving acid-...
About the Artist
Abraham Bosse · 1602–1676
Abraham Bosse (1604–1676) was a French printmaker and theorist whose approximately 1,600 etchings provide an unparalleled visual record of 17th-century French life. Born to Huguenot parents in Tours, he trained in Paris under Melchior Tavernier and became a devoted follower of Jacques Callot's technical innovations. Bosse's meticulous etchings depicted subjects ranging from daily life and fashion ...