Saint Nestor c. 17th century

Curator: This etching by Jacques Callot, made sometime between the late 16th and early 17th century, depicts the martyrdom of Saint Nestor. Look closely at the fine lines. Editor: It's stark, isn't it? So much tension in such a small space, like a dark memory pressed into a tiny frame. The details, though...gruesome but captivating. Curator: Callot had a way of capturing the drama of violence with incredible precision. It's an etching, which means he used acid to bite into the metal plate, allowing for these intricate lines. The figures are carefully posed around the prone body of Saint Nestor. Editor: I’m struck by the geometric precision. It's almost clinical, despite the barbaric act taking place. All those lines and the oval frame—it feels like observing a terrible ritual, distant but still piercing. Is that how Callot felt, I wonder, distant, even as he etched? Curator: Perhaps. He definitely invites us to consider the brutal side of religious devotion, however strange that may seem. Editor: Yes, and maybe to question how we turn narratives of faith into images.