Reverse Copy of Le Gentilhomme de Face, La Main Droite sur la Hanche (Gentleman Facing Forward, His Right Hand on his Hip), from "Les Caprices" Series A, The Florence Set 1620 - 1700

This small print, "Reverse Copy of Le Gentilhomme de Face" is made with the intaglio process, where an image is incised into a metal plate, which then holds ink that is transferred to paper. The original set of prints, “Les Caprices” or “The Caprices” as they were called, were etched by the artist Jacques Callot in the early 1600s. They are full of swaggering figures like this one, sharply delineated with many fine lines. This particular copy, though, is anonymous, and perhaps was made by someone who wanted to have a version of Callot’s original image. The beauty of the printmaking process is exactly this reproductive capacity, which democratizes images, making them available to a wider audience than unique drawings or paintings. Here, we see the effect of the hand in a slightly less skillful copy. Yet the image still conveys the essence of the original, showing how technologies of production can disseminate cultural ideas, and ensure their longevity.