Camping Place of the Gypsies: The Preparation of the Feast

Jacques Callot’s Camping Place of the Gypsies is the final plate of a four-part series that forms a rare, friezelike composition when assembled. These mysterious wanderers, alternately called gypsies or Bohemians, inspired much fascination at the beginning of the 17th century. It was rumored that Callot himself joined a similar group of Bohemians in Italy when he was 12 years old. In this picaresque scene, a motley crew of disheveled itinerants takes refuge for the evening under trees. While some prepare dinner, others entertain themselves with a game of cards, perhaps to pass the time as they wait for the arrival of their newest member, visible in the background.