Two Zanni
c. 1616
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 9.5 × 14.2 cm (3 3/4 × 5 9/16 in.) sheet: 10.5 × 15.5 cm (4 1/8 × 6 1/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
R.L. Baumfeld Collection
Accession Number
1969.15.23
Art Historical Context
**Two Zanni** * Callot, c. 1616* Etching on laid paper; plate: 9.5 × 14.2 cm Step into the lively world of 17th Italian street theater with Jacques Callot's enchanting etching *Two Zanni Created around 1616 while Callot worked at the Medici court in Florence this print captures two zanni—commedia dell'arte clowns known for their acrobatic antics and sly humor. These masked servants, with their exaggerated postures and t costumes, embody the improvisational spirit of this popular performance tradition that delighted audiences across Europe. Callot, a pioneering French etcher, mastered t...
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...