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May Day Celebrations at Xeuilley

ca. 1624–25
Not on view
Born in the Duchy of Lorraine, Callot spent his formative years at the Medici court in Florence where he recorded elaborate court pageants and festivals in an elegant Mannerist style. Following the death of Cosimo de’Medici in 1621, he returned to Nancy where he embarked upon a successful career as a printmaker, treating a wide range of subjects from the court to the countryside, from military battles to biblical scenes.


This boldly-worked sheet is a study for an etching depicting a May Day celebration in a village recently identified as Xeuilley, a small town in Lorraine where Callot’s family owned property. A massive oak tree dominates the village green, providing shade for the dancing villagers and seating for the musicians. The subject gave Callot the opportunity to mix country folk with more elegantly dressed observers in an expansive sun-washed space, reminiscent of a theatrical set. The scene echoes, albeit on a smaller scale, the panoramic ambitions of The Fair at Impruneta, the recently completed masterpiece of his Florentine period.

Perrin Stein, May 2014

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: May Day Celebrations at Xeuilley
  • Artist: Jacques Callot (French, Nancy 1592–1635 Nancy)
  • Date: ca. 1624–25
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash
  • Dimensions: sheet: 7 x 13 1/16 in. (17.8 x 33.2 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Rogers Fund and several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, 2008
  • Object Number: 2008.74
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Le Paysan Portant son Sac (The Peasant Carrying his Sack), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set, Jacques Callot French, Etching; first state of two (Lieure)
Le Paysan Portant son Sac (The Peasant Carrying his Sack), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set
Jacques Callot
Lorenzo de' Medici
1617–20
Saint Amond, St. Nicholas, or St. Séverin, Jacques Callot French, Etching and engraving; fifth state of five (Lieure)
Saint Amond, St. Nicholas, or St. Séverin
Jacques Callot
Israel Silvestre
ca. 1625
Le Paysan Assailli par les Abeilles (The Peasant Attacked by Bees), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set, Jacques Callot French, Etching; first state of two (Lieure)
Le Paysan Assailli par les Abeilles (The Peasant Attacked by Bees), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set
Jacques Callot
Lorenzo de' Medici
1617–20
L'Homme Vu de Dos, La Main Droite Tendue (Man Viewed from Behind, Right Hand Extended), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set, Jacques Callot French, Etching; first state of two (Lieure)
L'Homme Vu de Dos, La Main Droite Tendue (Man Viewed from Behind, Right Hand Extended), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set
Jacques Callot
Lorenzo de' Medici
1617–20
La Dame au Vêtement Ample (The Woman with Ample Clothing), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set, Jacques Callot French, Etching; first state of two (Lieure)
La Dame au Vêtement Ample (The Woman with Ample Clothing), from Les Caprices Series B, The Nancy Set
Jacques Callot
Lorenzo de' Medici
1617–20

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