Saint Medardus c. 17th century

Editor: Here we have Jacques Callot's "Saint Medardus," an etching from the early 17th century. It's tiny, but so detailed! I'm curious about the symbolism here. How do you interpret the rain and the bird above Saint Medardus? Curator: Ah, yes! Callot crams so much into these small works. The rain, legend says, stopped at Medardus' birth when an eagle sheltered him. So the rain *and* the eagle aren't just symbols, they're shorthand for the whole miraculous story. It’s like a tiny, visual poem! What do you make of the tiny figures to the left, almost hidden? Editor: Good point! I missed them at first. They look like they're presenting a garment, maybe? Thanks, I’ll look at Callot's work with fresh eyes now. Curator: My pleasure. Sometimes the smallest works hold the biggest stories!