Les Grandes Misères de la guerre (French:[lɛɡʁɑ̃dmizɛʁdəlaɡɛʁ]; English: The Great Miseries of War or The Miseries and Misfortunes of War) are a series of 18 etchings by French artist Jacques Callot (1592–1635), titled in full Les Misères et les Malheurs de la Guerre. Despite the grand theme of the series, the images are in fact only about 83 mm × 180 mm (3.25 x 7 inches) each, and are called the "large" Miseries to distinguish them from an even smaller earlier set on the same subject.[1]
The Great Miseries of War
French: Les Grandes Misères de la guerre
La Pendaison (The Hanging), the 11th and most famous plate in the series
The series was published in 1633, is Callot's best-known work, and has been called the first "anti-war statement" in European art.[2] The images are panoramic views with many small figures, and they feature gradation from light to dark that was typical of Callot's etchings. In sequence, the images recount the story of soldiers as they enroll in an army, fight in a battle, and rampage through the civilian community, only to then be arrested and executed. The etchings can also be considered as an early prototypical French comic strip, within the text comics genre, since the illustrations are accompanied by a descriptive text beneath the images.[3]
Les Grandes Misères depict the destruction unleashed on civilians during the Thirty Years' War; no specific campaign is depicted, but the set inevitably recalls the actions of the army that Cardinal Richelieu sent in 1633 to occupy Callot's native Lorraine before annexing it to France. Callot was living in the capital, Nancy, at the time, though the prints were published, like most of his work, in Paris, with the necessary royal licence. The plates still exist, in a museum in Nancy, as do seven drawings of whole compositions, and many tiny studies for figures, with a large group in the Hermitage Museum.[1]
The series begins with a florid title page, followed by an enrollment parade and a battle scene. Plates 4–8 show bands of the victorious soldiers successively attacking a farm, convent, and coach, and burning a village. In plates 9–14 they are rounded up and subjected to various methods of public torture and execution. Plate 15 shows crippled soldiers in a grand neo-classical hospital, Plate 16 unemployed soldiers dying in the street, and Plate 17 the peasants taking revenge on a group they have captured, killing them with flails. Plate 18 shows an enthroned king distributing rewards to the victorious generals.
Each print has a six-line verse caption below the image, written by the famous print-collector Michel de Marolles. All show wide panoramic views, with many tiny figures, as is typical of Callot's work. The technique of using multiple bitings of acid on the plate, with different areas "stopped-out", was perfected by Callot. This method allows gradations in the strength of the line, with distant parts of the scene usually lighter.[4]
DP Becker in KL Spangeberg (ed), Six Centuries of Master Prints, Cincinnati Art Museum, 1993. ISBN0-931537-15-0
Fatal Consequences: Callot, Goya, and the Horrors of War, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, 1990. ISBN0-944722-04-0
Ann Sutherland Harris, Seventeenth-century art & architecture, Laurence King Publishing, 2005. ISBN1-85669-415-1
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Miseries and Misfortunes of War.
Zoomable image of The Hanging at Christies
November 27, 2023
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Les Grandes Miseres de la guerre French lɛ ɡʁɑ d mizɛʁ de la ɡɛʁ English The Great Miseries of War or The Miseries and Misfortunes of War are a series of 18 etchings by French artist Jacques Callot 1592 1635 titled in full Les Miseres et les Malheurs de la Guerre Despite the grand theme of the series the images are in fact only about 83 mm 180 mm 3 25 x 7 inches each and are called the large Miseries to distinguish them from an even smaller earlier set on the same subject 1 The Great Miseries of WarFrench Les Grandes Miseres de la guerreLa Pendaison The Hanging the 11th and most famous plate in the seriesArtistJacques CallotYear1633MediumetchingDimensions8 3 cm 18 cm 3 3 in 7 1 in The series was published in 1633 is Callot s best known work and has been called the first anti war statement in European art 2 The images are panoramic views with many small figures and they feature gradation from light to dark that was typical of Callot s etchings In sequence the images recount the story of soldiers as they enroll in an army fight in a battle and rampage through the civilian community only to then be arrested and executed The etchings can also be considered as an early prototypical French comic strip within the text comics genre since the illustrations are accompanied by a descriptive text beneath the images 3 Contents 1 Description 2 Legacy 3 Gallery 4 References 4 1 Bibliography 5 External linksDescription edit nbsp Plate 5 Le pillage the soldiers pillage a houseLes Grandes Miseres depict the destruction unleashed on civilians during the Thirty Years War no specific campaign is depicted but the set inevitably recalls the actions of the army that Cardinal Richelieu sent in 1633 to occupy Callot s native Lorraine before annexing it to France Callot was living in the capital Nancy at the time though the prints were published like most of his work in Paris with the necessary royal licence The plates still exist in a museum in Nancy as do seven drawings of whole compositions and many tiny studies for figures with a large group in the Hermitage Museum 1 The series begins with a florid title page followed by an enrollment parade and a battle scene Plates 4 8 show bands of the victorious soldiers successively attacking a farm convent and coach and burning a village In plates 9 14 they are rounded up and subjected to various methods of public torture and execution Plate 15 shows crippled soldiers in a grand neo classical hospital Plate 16 unemployed soldiers dying in the street and Plate 17 the peasants taking revenge on a group they have captured killing them with flails Plate 18 shows an enthroned king distributing rewards to the victorious generals Each print has a six line verse caption below the image written by the famous print collector Michel de Marolles All show wide panoramic views with many tiny figures as is typical of Callot s work The technique of using multiple bitings of acid on the plate with different areas stopped out was perfected by Callot This method allows gradations in the strength of the line with distant parts of the scene usually lighter 4 Legacy editThe central image in what might be the first editorial cartoon is a parody of La Pendaison In William Hogarth s early engraving Emblematical Print on the South Sea Scheme the hanging tree is replaced by a wheel of fortune Francisco Goya probably owned a set of Callot s etchings and they are believed to have influenced his similar series Los Desastres de la guerra The Disasters of War almost two centuries later 5 Gallery edit nbsp Plate 1 Frontispiece nbsp Plate 2 L enrolement des troupes Enrolling the troops nbsp Plate 3 La bataille The battle nbsp Plate 4 La maraude The raid nbsp Plate 5 Le pillage Pillaging a house nbsp Plate 6 Devastation d un monastere Looting a monastery nbsp Plate 7 Pillage et incendie d un village Looting and burning a village nbsp Plate 8 Vol sur les grandes routes Highway robbery nbsp Plate 9 Decouverte des malfaiteurs Arrest of the offenders nbsp Plate 10 L estrapade or Strappado nbsp Plate 11 La pendaison The Hanging nbsp Plate 12 L arquebusade or Firing squad nbsp Plate 13 Le bucher or Burning at the stake nbsp Plate 14 La roue or Breaking wheel nbsp Plate 15 L hopital The hospital nbsp Plate 16 Les mendiants et les mourants The beggars and the dying nbsp Plate 17 La revanche des paysans The peasants fight back nbsp Plate 18 Distribution des recompenses Distribution of rewards References edit a b Becker 155 Sutherland Harris 258 Jacques Callot lambiek net Becker 155 amp illustrations pp 185 188 Becker 154 Bibliography edit DP Becker in KL Spangeberg ed Six Centuries of Master Prints Cincinnati Art Museum 1993 ISBN 0 931537 15 0 Fatal Consequences Callot Goya and the Horrors of War Hood Museum of Art Dartmouth 1990 ISBN 0 944722 04 0 Ann Sutherland Harris Seventeenth century art amp architecture Laurence King Publishing 2005 ISBN 1 85669 415 1External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Miseries and Misfortunes of War Zoomable image of The Hanging at Christies Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Les Grandes Miseres de la guerre amp oldid 1183005009, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
