Small male figure in three-quarter view with outstreched left hand and right hand grasping sword at hip, from the series 'Varie figure gobbi'

Art Historical Context

This etching, titled *Small male figure in three-quarter with outstretched left hand and hand grasping sword at hip is one of Jacques Callot's captivating works from his renowned series *Varie figurebi* (Various Hback Figures), created around 1621–25. Callot, a masterful French Baroque printmaker active in Italy and France, specialized in intricate etchings that captured the marginalized figures of society—beggars, soldiers, here, hunchbacked characters known as "gobbi." These small-scale prints (plate: 2 9/16 x 3 3/8 in.) showcase his fascination with human eccentricity, blending caricature w...

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...