Ste. Praxède, vierge (St. Praxede, Virgin), July 21st, from "Les Images De Tous Les Saincts et Saintes de L'Année" (Images of All of the Saints and Religious Events of the Year)
Medium
Etching; second state of two (Lieure)
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 9/16 x 1 15/16 in. (6.5 x 5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1917
Accession Number
17.50.17-371(246)
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Ste. Praxède, vierge (St. Praxede, Virgin), 21st** This delicate etching depicts St. Praede, a 2nd-century Roman virgin revered for her piety and burial of Christian martyrs during persecutions. Created by master printmaker Jacques Callot and by Israël Henriet in 1636, it forms part of the devotional series *Les Images De Les Saincts et Saint de L'Année*—a comprehensive calendar of saints and religious feasts tailored for the liturgical year. At just 2 9/16 x 1 15/16 inches, its intimate scale made it ideal for personal prayer books or portable piety in 17th-century Catholic homes. Callot,...
About the Artist
Jacques Callot|Israël Henriet · 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...