Jacques Callot

The theatrical perspective that Callot developed in this image would come to dominate his organization of space for subjects as diverse as martyrdoms and landscapes.The dramatic setting records the stage backdrop used during the production of the play Il Solimano, written by Prospero Bonarelli for the Medici court in Florence. Two symmetrically disposed rows of houses recede along a sloping stage floor toward a vanishing point, while Callot’s use of the stepped etching technique creates atmospheric space in the far distance. The spatial configuration of the stage design flattered the duke, who sat in a central seat corresponding to the vanishing point during the performance. The play’s fictionalized account of the 16thcentury court of Soliman I the Magnificent reveals the Medici’s fascination with the Ottoman Empire. In this first act, Soliman tells Rusteno, his son, and Acmat, his counselor, that the war between Persia and the Ottoman Empire will soon end.