Jacques Callot and the Etched Series
February 8 – April 3, 2005
Jacques Callot, Entry of His Highness as The Sun (Entrée de son Altesse représentant le Soleil), 1627, Engraving and etching. Smart Museum of Art, The University of Chicago, Purchase, Bequest of Joseph Halle Schaffner in memory of his beloved mother, Sara H. Schaffner, by exchange, 2000.16h.
The endlessly inventive etchings of Jacques Callot (1592–1635) make him one of the most important printmakers of the early seventeenth century, or indeed of any period.
Whether turning his eye and hand to the devastating wars that plagued his era or to more picturesque and fanciful subjects, he produced a distinctive vision of the world: theatrically staged, sharply detailed, and at times vigorously sardonic.
Though Callot's prints can be appreciated individually, they are best understood as integral sets, of which the Smart Museum possesses several. In this exhibition, we presented the following series in their entirety: the Large Miseries of War (18 sheets), the Views of Florence (10), and the Combat at the Barrier (10).