Varie figure gobbi di Iacopo Callot (Cripple with a hood)

1623

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Varie figure gobbi di Iacopo Callot (Cripple with a hood) is a 1623 by Jacques Callot, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Jacques Callot
When & what style?: 1623 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This print shows a man in a hood, bent over a stick. His face hides in shadow. The image is part of a series of 21 prints Callot made between 1621 and 1625. These prints were called *Varie figure gobbi* — "Various hunchback figures." The series pokes fun at theatrical types from commedia dell’arte. The hunchbacks mimic the exaggerated postures of stock characters. It’s like a comic book of stereotypes from 17th-century Italy. Callot was famous for his sharp, witty prints. See more of his work at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The story of this work

Overview

This image was published by Callot in 1621 as part of a series of 21 prints depicting gobbi (people with curved backs). The series was titled Varie figure gobbi di Jacopo Callot fatto in Firenza l'anno 1616 (Various hunchbacks by Jacopo Callot, made in Florence in 1616). The figures in the series are reminiscent of character tropes that were popular in the theatrical genre known as the commedia dell’arte (comedy of the profession). As the name suggests, the comedy of this genre was predicated on the assumption that the viewer occupied a different social class than the characters depicted.

Read the full account in the museum source.