Peasant with Shovel on His Shoulder
c. 1622
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 5.3 × 7.9 cm (2 1/16 × 3 1/8 in.) sheet: 7.4 × 9.3 cm (2 15/16 × 3 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
R.L. Baumfeld Collection
Accession Number
1969.15.472
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *Peasant with Shovel His Shoulder* (c. 1622) captures the humble dignity of rural life in a remarkably small etching on laid paper, measuring just5.3 × 7.9 cm on the plate. This French Baroque master, renowned for his intricate printmaking, depicts a weathered laborer striding forward with his tool, evoking the everyday struggles of 17th-century European peasantry amid economic hardships and social upheaval. Callot, who honed his skills in Florence and Nancy, excelled in genre scenes portraying beggars, soldiers, and common folk, often with empathetic detail. This work likely...
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...