Jacques Callot

Even in his youth, Jacques Callot was a restless spirit. His hometown of Nancy was still an insignificant provincial town that still had its great heyday ahead of it. Twice he left his parents' home in order to be able to realize his dream of becoming an artist somewhere else. Remorsefully, he returned home each time and began an apprenticeship as a goldsmith. No sooner had this been completed than he was drawn to faraway Rome. He got a job with Philippe Thomassin, one of the most renowned engravers of his time, like Jacques Callot a migrant from the east of France. He learned quickly and much, but Rome was not the hub of the artistic world in the 17th century and he sought a new challenge in Florence. There he refined his etching technique in the workshops and studios of local masters Giulio Parigi and Antonio Tempestas.

No less a person than the legendary Cosimo II de' Medici encouraged the young talent from Nancy. Jacques Callot received an abundance of commissions from the famous princely house and earned very, very much money for the time. He was allowed to work completely freely and looked for his own motifs. He was particularly interested in the little people. He created scenes from the everyday life of the peasants from the surrounding area and the officials at the Medicis court. He dedicated numerous works to the actors and singers of the commedia dell'arte. After Cosimo's death, Jacques Callot was drawn back to his hometown of Nancy. The move from warm Italy to the sunless north seems to have weighed heavily on the artist at first. In the first period after his arrival, he did not create anything new, but merely produced new editions of his old motifs. It was to take two long years before he finally attracted attention at the court of the Lorraine duke Henry II. He documented the festivities at court in detailed etchings, created lifelike portraits of nobles, enchanting landscapes and milieu studies. Word of his talent spread, and both the French and Spanish royal families were among his clients in the years that followed. During that time, he also created probably his best-known and most famous etchings, which as Les misères de la guerre ( in German: Die Gräuel des Krieges) were to take a firm place in European art history.

Almost nothing is known about the personal life of the artist Jacques Callot. Whether he had affairs, was married and had children remains in the dark. Perhaps he was what today would be called a "nerd". A perfectionist who invented new etching tools, successfully sought out new printing techniques, and became completely absorbed in his vocation. The famous Rembrandt van Rijn collected many prints by Jacques Callot. The Dutch painter himself is considered a master of printmaking and admired the sophisticated work of his contemporary. In particular, the masterful depiction of perspectives and the distinctive light-dark depictions fascinate all experts to this day. Jacques Callot died at the age of only 43. Around 180 years later, the poet Ernst Theodor Amadeus (E-T.A.) Hoffmann created a literary monument to the artist he admired in his work "Fantasiestücke".