Charles Audran


Charles Audran was a French engraver.

Life

Charles Audran was the first of the Audran family who became eminent in the art of engraving. He was born in Paris in 1594. In his boyhood he showed a great disposition for the art. He received some instruction in drawing, and when still young went to Rome to complete his studies. There he produced some plates that were admired. He adopted that species of engraving that is entirely performed with the graver, and seems to have modeled his style on that of Cornelis Bloemaert.
On his return to France he lived for some time in Lyons, but finally settled in Paris, where he died in 1674, aged 80. He marked his prints, which are very numerous, in the early part of his life with a "C-", until his brother Claude, who also engraved a few plates, marked them with the same letter; he then changed it for K., as the initial of Karl. The following are his principal prints :

Portraits

Meyer's ' Künstler-Lexikon' lists 223 of his works.