Sign in or join

Gentleman in a Large Cape, Seen from the Front, from The Caprices, Jacques Callot
Gentleman in a Large Cape, Seen from the Front, from The Caprices, c. 1617

Jacques Callot

1592–1635 · 8 works

Jacques Callot fitted remarkably busy worlds into small prints. Born in Nancy, he worked in Italy before returning to Lorraine, depicting court festivities, street theater, beggars, and the violence of war. His etchings can move between a conspicuous foreground figure and tiny activities far behind it. In The Two Pantaloons, awkward theatrical characters contrast with the elegant people in the distance. Scale becomes part of the story: details that seem incidental at first can change the character of a scene when you pause to examine them.

Spot an error?

Walk all 8 worksView in the Atlas

8 works · 1616–1618

Look first at the foreground figures in The Two Pantaloons, then search the background. How does the social setting change?

1616–1617 · 4 works

Walk these 4

1616/20 · 4 works

Walk these 4

Original museum reproductions, with source records on every artwork page.

Artist information: Getty Research Institute, Art Institute of Chicago.

Public-domain art. An imagined museum; no museum affiliation.