Benoît Audran the Elder, the second son of Germain Audran, was born at Lyons in 1661. He received his first instruction in the art of engraving from his father; but had afterwards the advantage of studying under his uncle, the celebrated Gérard Audran. Although he never equalled the admirable style of his uncle, he engraved many plates of historical subjects and portraits, which have justly established his reputation. His style, like that of Gérard, is bold and clear; his drawing of the figure is very correct; and there is a fine expression of character in his heads. He was received into the Academy in 1709, and was appointed engraver to the king, with a pension. He died in 1721, in the village of Ouzouer, near Sens. His portrait, after J. Vivien, has been engraved by his nephew Benoit, the younger. The following are his principal plates:
Several other prints by this artist are specified in the ' Dictionnaire des Artistes,' by Heineken, and in Meyer's ' Allgemeines Künstler-Lexikon' upwards of two hundred are enumerated.
This article incorporates text from the article "AUDRAN, Benoit, 'the elder,'" in Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers by Michael Bryan, edited by Robert Edmund Graves and Sir Walter Armstrong, an 1886–1889 publication now in the public domain.