The Blind Man and his Companion, plate nine from The Beggars
c. 1622
Medium
Etching on paper
Dimensions
Plate: 13.8 × 9 cm (5 7/16 × 3 9/16 in.); Sheet: 14.3 × 9.5 cm (5 11/16 × 3 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
18042
Art Historical Context
In the early 17th century, printmaker Jacques Callot captured the gritty underbelly of European society in his renowned series *The Beggars* (*Les Gueux*), a set of 25 etchings produced around 1622. *The Blind Man and his Companion*, plate nine, exemplifies this masterful work, depicting a sightless beggar led by a young guide amid the hardships of vagrancy. Rendered on a modest plate of just 13.8 × 9 cm, Callot's etching invites viewers into a world of poverty and resilience, reflecting the social upheavals of the Baroque era, including the aftermath of wars and economic strife in France and ...
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...