May Day Celebrations at Xeuilley

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