Frontispiece, from Various Scenes Designed in Florence

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

The authorship of this print remains disputed, with scholars attributing the landscape either to Jacques Callot or his student, François Collignon. What is uncontested about the piece is the high quality of the etching, done in soft ground to give the image a gentle, atmospheric feel. Callot skillfully etched in a style that replicated pen-strokes, aided by the échoppe , a needle of his own invention that enabled him to etch lines that swelled and thinned like an engraver’s. Here, Callot’s name in the banner and the name of the publisher were likely engraved, but the landscape and frame are purely etched.

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