Jacques Callot (1592-1635) - Messieur de couvonge et de Chalabre

Original etching by Jacques CALLOT (1592-1635) – The Combat at the Barrier (1627)

For sale an authentic and rare original etching by the famous Lorraine master engraver Jacques CALLOT, titled “Entrée de Messieurs de Couvonge et de Chalabre.”

This historical work is part of the famous suite illustrating The Combat at the Barrier, a sumptuous theatrical tournament held in 1627 at the court of Nancy by Duke Charles IV of Lorraine in honor of the Duchess of Chevreuse.

Characteristics and condition:
The work is presented in its original full format. The inner dimensions of the plate (the printed area) measure 23.5 x 6.8 cm, which exactly matches the dimensions listed in the catalogues raisonnés.

Unlike many examples that were cut down over the centuries, this print retains its cursive inscription from the period integrated in the sky: “Entrée de Monsr de Couuonge et de Monsr de Chalabre,” as well as the official signature of the artist at the bottom right: “Jac. Callot In. et Fecit.”

Magnificent impression on handmade laid paper, the watermarking clearly visible in the transparency. The black linework is of remarkable purity and sharpness, with no modern printing grid.

Presented in an elegant antique frame in gilded wood with a pearl-edged collet (total dimensions: 28.6 x 12.2 cm) with its period handmade backing. A rare museum piece on the market, ideal for a Baroque art collector or a 17th-century master prints enthusiast.

BIOGRAPHY

Jacques CALLOT (Nancy, 1592 – Nancy, 1635) is regarded as one of the greatest draftsmen and printmakers in the history of Western art, on par with Rembrandt or Dürer. He is the absolute pioneer of the modern etching technique.
Originating from a noble family of the robe who served the Duke of Lorraine, Jacques Callot showed an exceptional gift for drawing at a very young age. At 16, he fled to Italy to join Rome, then Florence, where he became the official engraver to the court of Grand Duke Cosimo II de’ Medici.
It was in Italy that he frequented the Commedia dell’arte, courtly festivities, and theater, which profoundly influenced his dynamic, expressive, and spectacular style.
Upon the death of the Grand Duke in 1621, Callot settled permanently in Nancy.
There he worked for the court of the Duke of Lorraine (Charles IV), immortalizing princely splendor, but also everyday life of the people, the bohemians and the beggars.
Before Callot, etching (acid engraving on copper) lacked precision. Callot revolutionized this art through two major innovations:

The hard varnish: He borrowed from Florentine luthiers a very resistant varnish that allows for lines of absolute sharpness, with no smudging.

The échoppe: He invented a tool with a beveled pointed tip that lets the line thickness vary (like a writing nib), giving his engravings a relief and life never before seen.
He excels in miniature art: on tiny copper plates, he manages to engrave hundreds of micros­opic figures with anatomical precision and striking expressivity (as clearly seen in the silhouettes of the horsemen).

His most famous work remains The Great Miseries of War (1633), a poignant and universal testimony to the ravages of the Thirty Years’ War in Lorraine.
An artist of conviction, he courageously refused to engrave a plate in honor of Louis XIII after Nancy was taken by French troops, declaring that he would rather cut off his own thumb than celebrate his country’s misfortune.
He dies prematurely in Nancy in 1635 at the age of 43, leaving behind more than 1,400 engraved plates that would influence generations of artists through the centuries.