The Angel Sounding the Sixth Trumpet

Art Historical Context

Behold *The Angel Sounding the Sixth Trumpet* (1546/1556), a striking engraving by Jean Duvet, a pioneering French artist active in the mid-16th century. Duvet, one of the earliest native engravers in France, drew inspiration from Albrecht Dürer's dramatic biblical prints, creating this work as part of his renowned *Apocalypse* series. The title references Revelation 9 in the Bible, where the sixth angel unleashes a horde of fiery, lion-like locusts upon the earth—a vivid symbol of divine judgment and apocalyptic turmoil during the Reformation era, when such imagery resonated deeply with religious fervor and uncertainty. Crafted as an engraving on laid paper (plate: 29.1 × 21 cm), Duvet's technique involved incising intricate lines into a copper plate, inking it, and pressing it onto paper to produce detailed, reproducible images. This intaglio method allowed for exceptional precision in rendering the angel's commanding presence, swirling clouds, and infernal creatures, blending late Gothic intensity with emerging Mannerist elongation and complexity. Prints like this democratized art, making grand visions accessible beyond elite patrons. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection (Department CG-E), this piece exemplifies 16th-century printmaking's cultural power, bridging Northern Renaissance detail with French innovation. Visitors, imagine the hush of contemplation it inspired in contemporaries— a timeless call to reflect on humanity's spiritual trials.

About the Artist

Jean Duvet · 1485–1570

Jean Duvet (1485–after 1562), a pioneering French goldsmith and engraver from the provincial heartlands of Dijon and Langres, emerged as the first significant printmaker in France. Born to a Dijon goldsmith, he trained in the family trade and rose swiftly, becoming master of the Dijon Goldsmiths' Guild by 1509. Duvet's early career blended goldsmithing with engraving; no specific teachers are docu...