Karl Audran, “Saint Francis of Paola in Prayer”, c. 1625, after Charles Mellin

Karl Audran (also known as Charles Audran and Karolus Audran) (1594–1674)

“Saint Francis of Paola in Prayer”, circa 1625

Contextual Commentary:

The composition is based on an altarpiece by the Lorrainese painter Charles Mellin (c. 1600–1649), originally created for the Royal Convent of Trinità dei Monti in Rome. Karl Audran engraved this print in Rome, circa 1622–1630. The copperplate was later acquired and brought to Paris, where F. Muguet published it in 1671 to illustrate Father Antoine Dondé’s book, “Les figures et l’abrégé de la vie, de la mort et des miracles de Saint-François de Paul...”. This impression is from the earlier Roman edition and bears the inscription “Romæ Sup. prm.” (short for Superiorum permissu — “with the permission of the superiors/authorities”).

The eight-line poem below the image brings together key elements of St. Francis’s life. The first four-line column plays on the irony of a holy man seeking to escape fame by hiding in the dense forests of Rome and Italy, only for his spiritual “light” to shine through nonetheless. In translation: “Neither Paula nor the vast Gallic world can contain you; You shun the allure of the shady grove, Choosing instead to veil your light in darkness And hide your deeds within the forest’s shade.”

The second column refers to St. Francis of Paola’s founding of the Order of Minims, a mendicant order. Unlike the Franciscans (Friars Minor, or “lesser”), Francis wanted his followers to be the least of all human beings. In translation: “You are known above the stars, Father, while wishing everywhere To be the lesser, you love the name and the omen of the Minim [the Least]. Thus Francis wanders without stain, for it is seen That where he is the least, he is thereafter the greatest to God.”

Technical Details & Condition:

Engraving on fine laid paper. The sheet has been trimmed slightly unevenly around the image borderline and is professionally supported by an archival-quality washi paper backing sheet. The image bears a historical grid of faint pencil lines, undoubtedly added by an early hand to square and copy the composition. Aside from a minor loss at the left image edge, which has been professionally replenished, the sheet remains in good condition, free of holes, folds, and significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 42.2 x 27.9 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• On oval medallion: “HVMI / L […] I / TAS” (Humilitas — the motto of the Minim friars founded by St. Francis)
• Below the image: (lower left): Carol° Mellin Lotaring° In et pinx.”; (left of centre) “Romæ Sup. prm.”; (right) “Carol° Audran Paris. sculp.”
• Two columns of four lines of Latin below the image: “Quem non Paula capit; non Gallicus amplior Orbis / Illicis vmbrosa fonde Latere putat / Sed qui opus tantum tenebris involvere lumen: / Syluarumq: vmbris abdere facta Inuat: // Es notus super astra Pater, Dum quolibet optans / Esse minor, Minimi nomen, et omen amas / Sic sine Labe errat Franciscus, namque videtur / Jnde ubi minimus, maximus Inde Deo est”

References:

• IFF 340 (Roger-Armand Weigert “Inventaire du Fonds Français Graveurs du XVIIe: ALIX [Jean]–BOUDEAU [Jean]”, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Département des Estampes, vol. 1, 1939, p. 215, cat. no. 340) — Available via Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Gallica): https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5489424r/f219.image
• Musée des Beaux Arts Nancy: Inventory number TH.99.15.1149 — https://collections-mba.nancy.fr/fr/notice/th-99-15-1149-saint-francois-de-paule-en-prieres-c39d39aa-0abc-4f56-aee2-d92dd0e828e9

Price & Shipping:

AU$308 (approximately US$213.98 / €191.15 / £161.86), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

To acquire this large, sensitively executed, and very beautiful engraving, please contact oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. Secure payment is handled via PayPal invoice for a smooth, protected transaction.