Frontispiece from Varie Figure Gobbi
Jacques Callot (French, 1592–1635), 1616–22, Etching
The frontispiece of Varie Figure Gobbi (or Various Grotesque Figures) found in Jacques Callot’s book is the source for the two figures at the top center of “Many Have Stones in Their Heads.” Riffing on Callot’s rendering of a figure probing his companion’s buttocks with a writing quill, The Great Mirror of Folly features Bombario wielding a pair of tongs in an effort to pull a nugget from his prone partner’s haunches. Whereas the figures around them are having stones removed from their heads, Bombario’s patient is having his “stone” extracted from his bottom, a commentary on the carnivalesque, upside-down world that defined the experience of the bubbles.
: Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries.
