Les Fantaisies de Noble Callot 1635

Editor: Here we have "Les Fantaisies de Noble Callot," an etching created in 1635 by Israel Henriet, now residing in the Rijksmuseum. It's this wonderfully delicate image; I love the aged paper. The sketchwork has a certain charm and whimsy. It feels like I’m looking at a title page for some lost collection of fairy tales. What's your take? Curator: It does, doesn't it? I see a collaboration, really. Henriet framing Callot, "putting Callot in light" as the inscription suggests, "by Israel, his friend." I imagine them bouncing ideas off each other in some Parisian workshop... maybe even sharing a glass of something strong? Notice how Henriet uses this frame -- almost architectural, really, doesn't it strike you that way? -- to literally *hold* the title and dedication. It's like he's building a proscenium for Callot's "fantasies." Does it evoke anything else to you? Editor: That's a cool idea of the two working side-by-side! You mentioning that it looks like architecture made me think of theatre and play! Is that something you see, too? Curator: Absolutely. Look at the figures perched atop the frame—they could be stagehands, orchestrating the whole scene. The piece breathes theatricality, right down to the dramatically posed figures flanking the text. Almost as if Henriet is building expectations, setting the stage for the 'Fantaisies' to come alive, maybe something even like a puppet show. The inscription *itself* is almost part of the visual landscape; each line contributing to the overall composition. Editor: I’m going to be picturing stagehands when I read title pages now. This reminds me not to overlook who presents what I’m looking at; someone always puts the artist “in light,” I suppose.