Le Mendiant a la Jambe de Bois (The Beggar with the Wooden Leg), from Les Gueux suite appelée aussi Les Mendiants, Les Baroni, ou Les Barons (The Beggars, also called the Barons)
ca. 1623
Medium
Etching; first state of two (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 7/16 x 3 7/16 in. (13.8 x 8.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1942
Accession Number
42.41.8
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *Le Mendiant à labe de Bois (The Beggar with the Leg)*, created around 1623, is a standout etching from his celebrated *Les Gueux* seriesalso known as *Lesendiants*, *Lesoni*, or *Lesons*. This poignant print depicts a ragged beggar leaning on a crutch, wooden leg a stark symbol of hardship. Measuring just 5 7/16 x 3 7/16 inches, its intimate scale invites close inspection, revealing Callot's extraordinary skill in capturing human frailty amid 17th-century Europe's social underbelly. As a pioneering Baroque printmaker from Lorraine (active in Italy and France), Callot revolut...
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...