Who painted Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended?

Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended was painted by Jacques Callot in 1622.

Where can I see Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended?

Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended?

Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended

Jacques Callot , 1622

Peasant Woman, in Profile, Facing Right, with Arm Extended is an ink print by the Baroque artist Jacques Callot. It dates from 1622 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1622, this etching on laid paper presents a peasant woman shown in profile, her right arm outstretched as if in gesture or movement. The figure stands within a modest landscape that includes grazing animals and a watercourse, rendered in the stark monochrome typical of early seventeenth‑century prints.

Subject & Meaning

The work focuses on a rural female figure, dressed in a long, flowing gown and headscarf, her posture suggesting an everyday activity or a moment of expression. By portraying a member of the agrarian class, the image reflects the artist’s interest in ordinary people and the social realities of his time.

Technique & Style

Executed through etching, the artist incised fine lines into a copper plate, producing sharp, precise contours that convey the texture of clothing and the surrounding foliage. The use of laid paper adds a subtle ribbed texture, while the high contrast of black ink against the paper emphasizes the figure’s silhouette and the delicate details of the background.

History & Provenance

The print was produced by Jacques Callot, a French baroque printmaker from the Duchy of Lorraine, whose career yielded more than 1,400 etchings. Callot’s output was widely circulated in the early modern art market, and this particular piece is documented in several 17th‑century collections, though its exact ownership trail after its creation remains fragmentary.

Context

During the early 1600s, European art began to turn toward the depiction of everyday life, moving beyond strictly religious or mythological subjects. Callot’s attention to peasants, beggars, and itinerant groups placed him among artists who used printmaking to record social conditions, offering a visual counterpart to contemporary written accounts of rural existence.