La Paysanne Tournée a Gauche, les Mains Appuyées l'Une sur l'Autre (The Peasant Woman Turned to the Left, One Hand Placed in the Other), from Varie Figure (Various Figures), plate 4
ca. 1620
Medium
Etching; third state of four (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 7/16 x 3 7/16 in. (8.7 x 8.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.3704
Tags
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot, a masterful French etcher of the early Baroque period, created *La Paysanne Tournée Gauche, les Mains Appuyées'Une sur l'Autre* around 1620 as plate 4 from his series *Varie Figure* (Various Figures). This etching depicts a humble peasant woman turned to the, her hands gently clasped in a pose that conveys quiet dignity and everyday resilience. Callot, who spent years in Italy honing his craft, specialized in portraying the lower classes—beggars, gypsies, and laborers—with remarkable empathy and detail, elevating ordinary subjects to artistic heights. Rendered in the third sta...
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...