A fleet caught in a storm on the coast of Barcelona

Reference: S47338.9
Author Jacques CALLOT
Year: 1612 ca.
Measures: 180 x 130 mm
Not Available

Reference: S47338.9
Author Jacques CALLOT
Year: 1612 ca.
Measures: 180 x 130 mm
Not Available

Description

A fleet caught in a storm on the coast of Barcelona; Margaret of Austria and Philp III of Spain sit in the ship on the right.

The etching is a proof, before text and typographical numbering, of the plate included in the celebrated Essequie Della Sacra Cattolica, E Real Maestà di Margherita d'Austria regina di Spagna, Celebrate dal Serenissimo Don Cosimo II, Grand Duca di Toscana IIII by Giovanni Altoviti, printed in Florence by Bartolommeo Sermatelli in 1612.

This is one of the finest Florentine illustrated books of the time, commissioned by Cosimo II Medici from French artist Jacques Callot soon after his arrival in Florence. The etchings celebrate the life of Margherita of Austria, who became queen of Spain following her marriage to Philip III in 1598. Of these, 18 are by Callot, 6 by Antonio Tempesta (1555-1630) and Raffaello Schiaminossi (c. 1529 - 1622).

Altoviti provides us with a commentary on the magnificent iconographic apparatus, emphasizing the significance of this “figurative history” of the Spanish queen, from the announcement of the wedding to the journey to Italy (Veneto, Ferrara, Milan, Genoa) and Spain (Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid), to the celebration of the wedding and finally to her death.

Etching, printed on contemporary laid paper, with full margins, a repaired tear at the lower left margin, otherwise, in good condition. Rare.

Bibliografia

Meaume II.207, 440-454 I (Callot); Lieure I.21-26.52-69 (Callot); Bartsch XVII.49.628-633 (Tempesta); Bartsch XVII.236.111-114 (Schiaminossi); G.G.Bertela & A.P.Tofani, Feste e Apparati Medicei da Cosimo I a Cosimo II (Firenze: 1969), pp.138-140 & 220. H. Diane Russell, Jacques Callot Prints and Related Drawings (Washington: 1975) 9.

Jacques CALLOT (Nancy 1592 - 1635)

He was a baroque graphics artist, draftsman and printmaker from the Duchy of Lorraine (an independant state on the North-Eastern border with France). He made etchings that chronicled the people and the life of his period (soldiers, clowns, drunkards, wanderers, beggars, and various outcasts). These images of people are often contrasted by spectacular landscapes (see, for instance, "The Temptation of St. Anthony"). His skill in shading and his use of different tones were remarkable for the period and he is often compared to Albrecht Dürer.

Jacques CALLOT (Nancy 1592 - 1635)

He was a baroque graphics artist, draftsman and printmaker from the Duchy of Lorraine (an independant state on the North-Eastern border with France). He made etchings that chronicled the people and the life of his period (soldiers, clowns, drunkards, wanderers, beggars, and various outcasts). These images of people are often contrasted by spectacular landscapes (see, for instance, "The Temptation of St. Anthony"). His skill in shading and his use of different tones were remarkable for the period and he is often compared to Albrecht Dürer.