Plan and Rendering of the Temple of Solomon
1619
Medium
etching and engraving on laid paper [restrike]
Dimensions
sheet: 71 × 46.5 cm (27 15/16 × 18 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Transferred from The Library of Congress
Accession Number
1986.50.196
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *Plan and Rendering of the of Solomon* (1619) is a masterful print that brings to life one of antiquity's most legendary structures—the First Temple in Jerusalem, built by King around 957 BCE and destroyed centuries later. This large-scale etching and engraving on laid paper captures both a precise architectural plan and a detailed perspective view, inviting viewers to envision the grandeur of this biblical marvel amid early 17th-century fascination ancient history and sacred architecture. As a leading Baroque printmaker working in Florence for the Medici court, Callot excell...
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...