Claude III Audran, Arbiter of the French Arabesque

Claude III Audran, Arbiter of the French Arabesque is the first substantial biographical study of Claude III Audran, a late 17th- and early 18th-century master of ornament and a proponent of cutting-edge design who took inspiration from contemporary sources. This work investigates Audran's accomplishments and the factors that impacted the longevity and arc of his successful career, taking into consideration the contextual variables that influenced and shaped his work. Audran's achievements bridge an important period with the eclipse of the Guild Maîtrise and the rise of the Académie royale. Audran subcontracted young artists, such as Watteau, Lancret, and Desportes, in order to circumvent restrictions on guild practice enacted by the crown. Looking at his commissions not only reveals the elite taste of his patrons, including Louis XIV, but also Audran's ability to use elements from popular culture to animate his arabesques, which created hallmarks of rococo interior design. ...Claude III Audran flourished as an independent artist and overcame restrictions placed on the Guild masters by subcontracting younger artists to assist in completion of his arabesque designs, a vital role that has gone unrecognized in previous scholarship. Audran developed a lexicon of motifs in ornamental arabesques including elements from popular culture that added a measure of playful humor that served as a catalyst in the development of rococo design. The oeuvre of this artist has received scant previous analysis and new documentation brings to light important commissions that serve as hallmarks of rococo design and corrects previous art history scholarship regarding Audran and his work.



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