The Duel with Swords, from The Caprices
c. 1622
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 5.6 × 8.1 cm (2 1/4 × 3 1/4 in.); Sheet: 7.7 × 11.1 cm (3 1/16 × 4 3/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
131517
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *The Duel with Swords*, from the series *The Caprices* (c. 1622), captures a tense moment of swordplay in a compact etching that exemplifies the artist's mastery of miniature drama. Created during Callot's prolific period in Florence under Medici patronage, this print belongs to a suite of whimsical yet incisive scenes blending fantasy, satire, and everyday life. At just 5.6 × 8.1 cm, it invites close viewing, revealing the chaotic energy of two figures locked in combat amid swirling lines that evoke the Baroque era's theatrical intensity. Etching on ivory laid paper was Call...
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...