Art Institute of Chicago

The Dancers with the Lute, from The Caprices

Jacques Callot

Date

c. 1622

Medium

Etching in black on ivory laid paper

Culture

France

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

In the 17th century, the word capriccio generally indicated a musical composition that thwarted listeners’ expectations with sudden changes in tempo, rhythm, or structure that appeared to be made according to the performer’s whim, or caprice. Jacques Callot borrowed the term to describe a series of etchings with a wide variety of diverting subjects including peasants, architectural sites, military maneuvers, and musicians. Among other motifs, he depicted two pairs of dancers frolicking and playing musical instruments and a shepherd playing a flute.

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