Entry of M. de Couvonage and M. de Chalabre, from The Combat at the Barrier

Jacques Callot’s etchings are at their most theatrical in this hellish parade image, drawing on earlier subjects by the artists. Callot produced an earlier version of this scene, printed in reverse, which, at half the size of the current image, was too small for The Combat at the Barrier, a book published for the Medici celebration in 1627. Instead, impressions of this plate were handed out to participants in the festival itself as souvenirs.