Art Institute of Chicago

First Intermezzo of the Veglia of the“Liberation of Tyrsenus and Arnea"

Jacques Callot (French, 1592-1635)

Date

1617, published 1668

Medium

Etching on paper

Culture

France

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Jacques Callot served under Cosimo II de' Medici, the premier patron of arts and entertainment in 17th-century Florence. The ballet Liberation of Tirreno and Arnea was a symbol of opulence, celebrating the 1616 wedding of the Duke of Mantua, Ferdinando Gonzaga, and Cosimo II's sister, Caterina de' Medici. In this scene, heavy drapery is cast aside to reveal the intermezzo, or staged entertainment between acts. The ballet dancers have moved from the stage to the auditorium floor, drawing the Duke and Archduchess themselves into the dance. Callot depicted the interior space of the famous Uffizi Theater, which is the only known visual record of the building. Nonetheless, Callot tended to exaggerate grandeur and vastness in performance imagery, which makes gauging its realism challenging.

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