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.
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