La Défilé a Pied (The Parade on Foot), from Le Combat a la Barrière in the Palace at Nancy by Henri Humbert, printed by Sebastien Phillipe
Medium
Etching; second state of two (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 1/16 x 12 5/8 in. (20.4 x 32.1 cm) Plate: 5 7/8 x 9 9/16 in. (15 x 24.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Edwin De T. Bechtel, 1957
Accession Number
57.650.407(9)
Art Historical Context
This etching, titled *La Défilé a Pied* (The Parade on Foot), captures a ceremonial procession from the 1627 spectacle *Le Combat a la Barrière*, staged at the ducal palace in Nancy. Created by Jacques Callot in collaboration with Henri Humbert and printed by Sebastien Phillipe, the print records the pageantry of a courtly tournament that blended chivalric display with theatrical performance. Measuring just under six by ten inches in the plate, the work invites close viewing of its intricate details, from the measured steps of the participants to the architectural setting. Callot, a master of...
About the Artist
Jacques Callot|Henri Humbert · 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...