The Nailing to the Cross

c. 1618

Jacques Callot

Associated Names
Jacques Callot

Artist, French, 1592 - 1635

This is a drawing of a battle scene with various figures and a crowd of onlookers. The drawing depicts a chaotic scene with soldiers and observers gathered in different parts of the composition. The scene is detailed with numerous figures on foot and horseback, some bearing weapons. The onlookers form a packed audience, seemingly watching or involved in the events taking place. The linework is intricate, capturing the scene’s dynamism and the individual details of clothing, weaponry, and natural surroundings. The sky is rendered with a few wisps of clouds, emphasizing the open-air setting and adding a sense of movement to the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    R.L. Baumfeld Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 11.3 × 21.8 cm (4 7/16 × 8 9/16 in.)
    sheet (irreg.): 15.5 × 25.7 cm (6 1/8 × 10 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1969.15.54

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Lieure, no. 287, State i/ii

  • Series Title

    The Large Passion [Lieure 281-287]

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1963

  • Jacques Callot: a selection of prints from the collections of Rudolf L. Baumfeld and Lessing J. Rosenwald, NGA, 1963, no. 15g.

1975

  • Jacques Callot: Prints and Related Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1975, no. 169, repro.

Bibliography

1860

  • Meaume 18.

1924

  • Lieure, J. Jacques Callot. 5 vols. Paris: Editions de la Gazette des Beaux Arts, 1924-1927. Reprint. 8 vols. New York: Collectors' Editions, 1969.

1975

  • Russell 1975, 169.

Inscriptions

lower right in plate: Callot In.; lower center in plate:Heu! quod certamen! quoe palmae! quiue triumphi! / et tamen hic mortem, Tartarag ima domat (Oh!what battle, what victory! wh

Wikidata ID

Q65509050

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