L'Attaque de la Diligence (The Attack of the Stagecoach), from "Les Misères et les Mal-Heures de la Guerre" (The Miseries and Misfortunes of War), plate 8
Medium
Etching; first or second state of three (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 15/16 x 7 3/8 in. (7.5 x 18.7 cm) trimmed
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957
Accession Number
57.650.404(7)
Art Historical Context
In 1633, French printmaker Jacques Callot created *L'Attaque de la Diligence* (The Attack of the Stagecoach), plate 8 from his seminal series *Les Misères et les Mal-heurs de la Guerre* (The Miseries and Misfortunes of War). This etching captures the chaos of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), a devastating conflict that ravaged Europe. Callot, who had witnessed the brutal sack of his home region of Lorraine, used the series to expose the horrors of war—not just battles, but the ensuing banditry and suffering among civilians. Here, marauding soldiers ambush a stagecoach, their frenzy symbolizi...
About the Artist
Jacques Callot|Israël Henriet · 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...