308 
and 
Hiflary qf Caricature 
Gratwue 
in I629, he was called to Paris to execute engravings of the liege of 
La Rochelle, and of the defence of the Iile of Rhe, but he returned to 
Nancy in 1630. Three years afterwards his native country was invaded 
by the armies of Louis XIIL, and Nancy furrendered to the French on 
the 25th of September, 1633. Callot was required to make engravings 
to celebrate the fall ot his native town; but, although he is faid to have 
been threatened with violence, he refufed; and afterwards he com- 
memorated the evils brought upon his country by the French invafion in 
thofe two immortal fets of prints, the leH'er and greater "Miseres de la 
Guerre." About two years after this, Callot died, in the prime of life, 
on the 24th of March, 1635. 
The fame of Callot was great among his contemporaries, and his name 
is juttly refpeited as one of the moft illuftrious in the hiitory of French 
art. He had, as might be expected, many imitators, and the Caprices, 
the Balli, and the Gobbi, became very favourite fubjects. Among thete 
imitators, the moft fuccefsful and the rnofi diitinguithed was Stephano 
Della Bella; and, indeed, the only one deferving of particular notice. 
Della Bella was born at Florence, on the 18th of May, 1610 ft his father, 
dying two years afterwards, left him an orphan, and his mother in great 
poverty. As he grew up, he lhowed, like Callot himfelf, precocious 
talents in art, and of the fame kind. He eagerly attended all public 
feitivals, games,  and on his return from them made them the fubject 
of grotefque iketches. It was remarked of him, efpecially, that he had a 
curious habit of always beginning to draw a human figure from the feet, 
and proceeding upwards to the head. He was {truck at a very early 
period of his purfuit of art by the Ityle of Callot, of which, at Grit, he 
was a fervile imitator, but he afterwards abandoned fome of its pecu- 
liarities, and adopted a {tyle which was more his own, though {till founded 
upon that of Callot. He almoft rivalled Callot in his fuccefs in grouping 
multitudes of figures together, and hence he alfo was much employed in 
  producing 
1' The materials for the history of Della Bella and his works, will be found in 
a carefully compiled volume, by C. A. jombert, entitled, " Essai d'un Catalogue 
dc l'Oeuvrc d'Etienne dc la Bella." 8v0., Paris, 1772.