Artwork
Restoration of the Aqueduct at Pisa

Restoration of the Aqueduct at Pisa is an ink print by the Baroque artist Jacques Callot. It dates from 1614 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Restoration of the Aqueduct at Pisa is an engraving on laid paper, created circa 1614 by Jacques Callot, a prolific French Baroque printmaker and draftsman.
Subject & Meaning
Ferdinando I de' Medici is prominently featured, overseeing the project he sponsored.
The engraving depicts the restoration of the Acquedotto Mediceo in Pisa, commissioned by Ferdinando I de' Medici, highlighting the project's significance in bringing clean water to the city. The scene focuses on the bustling construction site, showcasing various workers engaged in different tasks such as digging, hammering, and hauling stones for the stone channel. Ferdinando I de' Medici is prominently featured, overseeing the project he sponsored.
Technique & Style
Callot's characteristic use of tiny, sharp lines is evident, meticulously etching every detail, from tools to individual faces, demonstrating his mastery of etching.
History & Provenance
Created around 1614, this work is part of Callot's extensive oeuvre of over 1,400 etchings, which often captured contemporary themes set against detailed backgrounds.
Context
Reflecting Callot's broader practice, the piece blends documentation of everyday life (in this case, a significant infrastructure project) with precise landscape depiction, here featuring the aqueduct leading into a walled city.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques Callot was a baroque printmaker and draftsman from the Duchy of Lorraine.






![Christ Walking on the Water [second plate], by Jacques Callot](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/jacques-callot--christ-walking-on-the-water-second-plate--2069f3bfe4cb2126-w320.webp)









