Two Beggars Fighting
1612–16
Medium
Etching and engraving, with drypoint, in black on off white laid paper
Dimensions
32 × 21.8 cm (12 5/8 × 8 5/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
6072
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The uneven appearance of Jacques Bellange’s experimental printmaking techniques and his exaggeration of the human body complement this genre scene of two transients—a pilgrim and a hurdy-gurdy player—fighting a mock-epic battle. Their interlocking pyramidal form achieves a certain grandeur and scale, which is lacking in the many contemporary, but more overtly satirical, depictions of beggars.
About the Artist
Jacques Bellange · 1570–1616
Jacques Bellange (c. 1575–1616) was a French artist and printmaker active in the independent Duchy of Lorraine, now part of France. Believed to have been born in the Bassigny region south of Nancy, his early life and training remain sparsely documented, with no records of specific teachers or mentors. He first appears in historical records in 1595 at La Mothe, where he took on an apprentice, sugge...