Also, an impression of the rare Le Cult de Dieu, Lieure 570, only state, trimmed to the diagonals, is included with this set.

Very good to fine impressions of the second state of 3. The first state, before letters, is virtually unknown; in the third state (which is posthumous) numbers were added to the lower right.

Lieure considered this cycle Callot's masterpiece of religious expression, and it is an aesthetic triumph as well. The series includes the traditional apochryphal scenes as well as those from the Gospels. The compositions are generally theatrical, often with strong figures in the foreground, with a larger cast in the middle ground, and an opening which creates space and depth. Some of the plates are particularly dramatic, such as the Burial of the Virgin, which takes place in a darkened grotto, and the Adoration of the Magi (with a boarded roof after Durer); the rare second Annunciation is a study in simplicity - a more beautiful version than the set's version which is more flowery. All of these compositions would "work" in a larger scale.

Inquiries about this or other fine prints (including a number of examples of Callot individual prints and sets) are of course welcome; additional pictures of the prints in this set are available as well.