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Jacques Callot, designer

The Temptation of St. Anthony, second version, 1635

Description

Maker

  • Jacques Callot, 1592-1635, French, designer
  • Israël Silvestre the younger, 1621-1691, French, publisher

Title

The Temptation of St. Anthony, second version

Year

1635

Medium

Etching

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • etching

Supports

  • Light weight cream laid paper

Dimensions

Plate: 36 x 46.5 cm (14 3/16 x 18 5/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Lettered within image LL: "Jac. Callot Inven. et fe"

Lettered below image: "Illustrissimo maximoque viro D. D. Ludovico Phelypeaux [...] Cum Privil. Reg. Israel excu 1635"

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Prints

Credit

Gift of an anonymous friend

Object Number

47.773

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Jacques Callot and the Baroque Print

June 17 - November 6, 2011

As a test of faith, demons tormented St. Anthony the Great while he was secluded in the Egyptian desert. The verses on this print tell us of his steadfast faith and victory over earthly and supernatural woes:

Shapeless specters, monsters stabled in obscure hiding places, broke out of their lower world and in close marching order profaned the world and light with deadly poisons. The shapes of so many crimes transformed the hermitage into Erebus [darkness]. In the meantime what are you doing under the vault of the huge rock, holy
old man: you feel the force of so great enemies and despise them? Nothing mortal inspires you, nor do alluring Joys move your heart; neither Love breaks it nor death frightens. The mind fixed on heaven and restoring its strength from the Source, endures on earth the battles, which he derides, in the upper air.

To organize his countless figures, Callot divided the picture plane into four principal tonal values that translate into a marked recession into space. The horrific demon overhead, with its heavier, broader, and denser lines, contrasts with the delicate harbor scene in the background. The fencing demons and devilish canon in the foreground recall Callot’s works depicting combats and warriors as well as mockbattles at court, calling into question the human caprice to make or play at war.

Recent Acquisitions of the Print Room

September 28 - October 30, 1948

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is The Temptation of St. Anthony, second version with the accession number of 47.773. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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