Jacques Callot

Jacques Callot (1592-1635) was a French etcher and draughtsman. He spent most of his time at Nancy (at the time the capital of the independent duchy of Lorraine), but early in his career, he worked in Italy – from 1611 to 1621 he was in Rome and Florence. Here, his main patron was Duke Cosimo II de Medici and Callot produced many engaging etchings of scenes of fêtes, ceremonies and court entertainments. The duke's death in 1621 prompted Callot's return to Nancy where, apart from brief trips to Paris in 1629 and 1630, he remained until his death. His most famous work is a series of 18 etchings entitled Les Misères et les Malheurs de la Guerre (The Miseries and Misfortunes of War) published in 1633, which depict the horrors of the Thirty Years' War. Francisco de Goya admired them and they influenced his Disasters of War prints. Callot was a very prolific artist and more than 1,000 of his etchings and as many drawings are still in existence.