Jacques Callot
The Temptation of Saint Anthony
- (1635), etching
- 13.8 x 18.1 in. (35 x 46 cm.)
- Spencer Museum of Art,
University of Kansas - 600 x 456 (73 Kb)
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Editor’s Note:
Many of Callot's etchings involve spectacular landscapes. or chronicle current events of his time, especially war. Others involve societal perceptions of soldiers, clowns, drunkards, wanderers, beggars, various outcasts, and deformities. Callot often chose themes of the grotesque and satire, which were not widespread in 17th-century art.
The most inspired of all his satirical and grotesque works is the engraving 'The Temptation of St Anthony', shown here. This work was also known as 'The Second Temptation of St Anthony,' because Callot had already created a work on this subject in 1617. In this work, we see the height of Callot's artistry. His techniques of seamless transitions in shading and his use of different tones - these were fundamental aspects of his distinctive etching technique and of the innovative methods he developed.
Neither St. Anthony nor his pig dominates this composition. Anthony (detail 1 below) is barely visible inside the arch on the lower left. His tortured pig (detail 2 below) is directly underneath the Saint.
detail #1-
detail #2
The Seven Deadly Sins
- [Gula or Gluttony]
- 1619, etching and engraving
- 3 x 2.4 in. (7.7 x 6.1 cm.)
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- 700 x 876 (72KB)
A Sheet of Sketches
- 1635, pen and ink drawing
- 4.9 x 6.5 in. (12.5 x 16.7 cm.)
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- 650 x 485 (34 KB)
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Editor’s Note:
Here is a close up of the pig:
sketch of a leg and a pig's head
- (1616 - 1617), red chalk and iron gall ink on laid paper
- 4.8 x 5.6 in. (12 x 14.1 cm.)
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
- 575 x 425 (46 KB)