Le Char de L'Amour, from Guerre de Beauté (Guerra di Bellezza) (War of Beauty)
Medium
Etching; first state of two (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 7/8 x 9 15/16 in. (17.4 x 25.2 cm) Plate: 6 x 8 7/8 in. (15.2 x 22.6 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
57.650.351(4)
Art Historical Context
" Le Char de L'Amour" ("The Chariot of Love") belongs to Jacques Callot’s etching series documenting the grand Florentine festival Guerra di Bellezza, staged in 1616. Designed by court architect Giulio Parigi and etched by Callot, the print captures an allegorical pageant float in which the figure of Love rides in triumph. The work records the lavish spectacles organized by the Medici court to celebrate dynastic alliances and demonstrate Florence’s artistic prestige. Callot’s precise etching technique, visible here in its rare first state, allowed him to render intricate costumes, lively crow...
About the Artist
Jacques Callot|Giulio Parigi · 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...