Text (border, lower right) c. 17th century

Curator: This is an interesting piece! We're looking at an engraving by Jacques Callot, likely from the early 17th century. It's titled "Text (border, lower right)". Editor: My first thought is, wow, that's a lot of text! It looks like a document, but there's an odd anatomical illustration at the bottom. Is it a… diagram of bones? Curator: Exactly! It's believed to be related to the siege of La Rochelle. The text lists notable places in the city, and that illustration, a bizarre detail, seems to be a symbolic representation of a fractured city. Editor: So, Callot uses the physical material of the city – its buildings and layout – to create a kind of inventory, almost like a shipping manifest of a society under duress. The engraving itself, then, is a document of material culture subjected to the pressures of war. Curator: That's a sharp insight. What strikes me is how Callot turns this seemingly mundane list into something deeply unsettling and poetically suggestive. Editor: Well, for me it’s about seeing the brutal, material consequences of conflict rendered in ink and paper. Curator: I see the emotional weight of that history in the fragility of the line, a delicate balance of control and chaos. Editor: A balance made possible through the very specific tools and techniques of early printmaking. It's the intersection of craft, history, and social upheaval. Curator: Yes, a powerful confluence of events. Editor: Indeed!