March 13 through August 15, 2010

Our Works on Paper Gallery hosts a fascinating exhibition of more than thirty etchings and engravings by the ground-breaking French printmaker Jacques Callot (1592-1635) from the Museum's permanent collection. During the early part of the seventeenth century, Callot elevated the art of etching through his technical innovations that allowed for subtle gradations of line, resulting in effective, unprecedented spatial illusions. His prints influenced generations of European artists including the Dutch master Rembrandt and the Italian etcher Stefano della Bella, among others.

Employed by the grand dukes of Tuscany in Florence and by the dukes of Lorraine in modern-day France, Callot produced popular prints of nobles and beggars, landscapes and religious themes, and images of contemporary theater and war. The artist approached his subjects with a penetrating, sometimes sympathetic, eye and produced more than 1400 prints during his lifetime-a remarkable achievement.

Right: Jacques Callot (French, 1592-1635), Noble Woman in Profile with Hands in Sleeves,
from The Nobility of Lorraine series), c. 1620-23, 5 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches, Reading Public Museum,
Museum Purchase