Soldiers sacking a mansion and torturing its inhabitants. Etching after Jacques Callot, ca. 1633.

The suite of eighteen prints entitled "Miseries and misfortunes of war" (Les misères et les malheurs de la guerre) in which soldiers are shown fighting, raping and pillaging and some are subsequently punished or gravely wounded and only few are rewarded for victory, was published by Callot's friend Israël Henriet in 1633

The soldiers have invaded the house in order plunder it. The women are raped, the animals slaughtered and various members of the household are tortured over the fire: one man is suspended above it while another man has the soles of his feet burned in order to reveal the whereabouts of the valuables

[Amsterdam] : Leonardus Schenk, [1730]

1 print : etching, with engraving ; image 7.4 x 18.5 cm

Voyla les beaux exploits de ces coeurs inhumains ... Israel ex. Cum privil. reg. Lettering continues in French underneath the print describing the event in verse Translation of the poem: Here are the fine exploits of these inhuman hearts. They ravage everywhere. Nothing escapes their hands. One invents tortures to gain gold, another instigates his accomplices to perform a thousand misdeeds and all with one accord spitefully commit theft, kidnapping, murder and rape, Bears number bottom right : 5

Jules Lieure, Jacques Callot, 8 vols, Paris 1924-1927, nos. 1339-1356

Wellcome Collection 44109i