Portret van Jacques Callot 1714 - 1756

This undated portrait, currently held at the Rijksmuseum, depicts Jacques Callot who was born in Nancy in 1593 and died in 1635. Callot was a printmaker, a master of etching, working during a period of intense social and political upheaval in Europe. Although the artist of this portrait is unknown, it still gives us some insight into the image Callot wished to project. Note the trappings of nobility, which reflect the social mobility that was becoming possible at the time. The Latin inscription tells us that Callot himself was a celebrated printmaker, but also a nobleman. He is framed by symbols of his craft and status. Callot lived through the Thirty Years' War, and his etchings often depicted the brutal realities of conflict and its impact on ordinary people. Yet, his self-fashioning as an elite artist, as seen in this portrait, places him within the complex social hierarchies of his time. The portrait then, is not just an image of an individual, but also a reflection of broader societal shifts.