The Marriage of Ferdinand de' Medici and the Duchess Christine de Lorraine, plate 1 from The Life of Ferdinand de' Medici

Jacques Callot's father served the Duke of Lorraine in France; thus, when Callot was appointed court artist to the Medici family in Florence, Italy, in 1614, he was already accustomed to the stately ceremonies of nobility. At court he documented lavish events through his prints such as The Marriage. Here a distinguished group of spectators witnesses the marriage of Ferdinand de' Medici and Duchess Christine. In contrast to Callot's usual medium of etching, The Marriage was executed as an engraving. The time-consuming process required the artist to incise single crisp lines into the metal plate, rather than, as with an etching, drawing the entire composition onto a waxy plate coating and using acid to eat away at the lines.