The Triumph of David, from a fan by Jacques Callot
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
image: 9 x 12 5/16 in. (22.8 x 31.2 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.390
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching, titled *The Triumph of David*, captures a lively biblical procession likely inspired by David’s victory over Goliath. Designed by Jacques Callot, one of the most inventive printmakers of the early Baroque period, the scene shows warriors, chariots, and figures on horseback moving in celebratory formation. Though created as a design for a fan—an intimate, handheld object meant for personal use—the composition expands dramatically when translated into print, revealing Callot’s gift for condensing grand narratives into formats. Callot’s etching technique allowed for remarkable deta...
About the Artist
Jacques Callot|Balthazar Moncornet|Charles Nicolas Cochin I · 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...