The Grand Tournament: The Combat
1627
Medium
Etching in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 15.3 × 24.3 cm (6 1/16 × 9 5/8 in.); Sheet: 17.2 × 25.9 cm (6 13/16 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
111417
Art Historical Context
Jacques Callot's *The Grand Tournament: The* (1627) captures the thrill of a chivalric spectacle at the court of the Duke of Lorraine. This etching, part of a renowned series depicting a lavish tournament held in Nancy, France, showcases armored knights clashing in mock battle amid cheering crowds. Created during the Baroque era, amid the tensions of the Thirty Years', it evokes a nostalgic ideal of medieval pageantry, blending festivity with the era's martial spirit. As a master etcher, Callot revolutionized printmaking with his intricate technique on ivory laid paper, using fine lines to re...
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...