18th Century French School After Jacques Callot

Oil on canvas of the XVIIIth century, after an engraving by Jacques Callot "le brelan" in good condition, minimal lacks on the frame measure canvas: 78 cm by 51 cm measure with frame: 92.5 cm by 67 cm framed in the 19th century , sold in the Versailles auction room in 1927

Jacques Callot, born in Nancy in 1592 and died in Nancy on March 24, 1635, was a draughtsman and engraver from Lorraine, whose best-known work today is a series of eighteen etchings entitled Les Grandes Misères de la guerre, evoking the ravages of the Thirty Years' War then raging in Europe. He is considered one of the masters of the etching technique. His style is characterized by the sharpness of his strokes and the depth of his inking, which ensure that his etchings remain perfectly legible, despite the frequent proliferation of scenes and figures, often on engravings of limited surface area.Callot is credited with several innovations that enabled the full development of this art form, in particular the use of "hard varnish". It was Abraham Bosse who disseminated these innovations, publishing the first treatise on etching8 in 1645, which was widely translated throughout Europe.