Het martelaarschap van de Heilige Sebastiaan

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

Jacques Callot's *Het Martelaarschap van de Heilige Sebastiaan (The Martyrdom Saint Sebastian), etched between 1631 and 1633, captures a dramatic moment from Christian hagiography. The French Baroque master depicts the Roman soldier Sebastian, bound to a tree and pierced by arrows for his faith, surrounded by tormentors in a bustling, panoramic scene. Measuring just 160mm high by 323mm wide, intimate yet expansive etching exemplifies Callot's genius for crowded compositions, blending religious devotion with visceral intensity amid the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War. Callot, a pioneer of etc...

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...