The Dance
Medium
woodcut on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to block): 5.6 × 8.1 cm (2 3/16 × 3 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
R.L. Baumfeld Collection
Accession Number
1969.15.204
Art Historical Context
Created in 1621 by Edouard Eckman after an original design by Jacques Callot, *The Dance* is a delicate woodcut printed on laid paper. At just 5.6 by 8.1 centimeters, the small sheet demonstrates the precision possible in early seventeenth-century relief printing, where an artist carves away the wood block’s surface to leave raised lines that hold ink for transfer onto paper. As a reproductive print, Eckman’s work allowed Callot’s composition to reach a wider audience through an affordable medium. Woodcuts were especially valued for their bold contrasts and durability, making them ideal for...
About the Artist
Edouard Eckman after Jacques Callot
Edouard Eckman, a Flemish printmaker born around 1600, remains a somewhat enigmatic figure in art history, with his early life not well documented. Little is known about his training or formal education, though his oeuvre suggests familiarity with the vibrant printmaking traditions of the early Baroque period in Northern Europe. Active primarily in the second decade of the seventeenth century, Eck...