The Annunciation
c. 1633/1634
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 6.1 × 4.2 cm (2 3/8 × 1 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1949.5.93
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *The Annunciation*, created around 1633–1634, captures the biblical moment when the angel Gabriel reveals to the Virgin Mary that she will conceive Jesus. This intimate etching, measuring just 6.1 × 4.2 cm, exemplifies the French Baroque master's skill in rendering profound religious narratives on a tiny scale. Callot (1592–1635), a pioneering printmaker from Lorraine, renowned for his meticulous etchings that blended Italian influences from his time in Florence with the dramatic intensity of the Counter-Reformation era. Etched on laid paper—a traditional support valued for i...
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...