Passage of the Granicus - Gérard Audran

A detailed 17th-century engraving by Gérard Audran depicting the Battle of the Granicus, based on the painting by Charles Le Brun.

This large-scale print by Gérard Audran depicts the Battle of the Granicus, a military engagement between Alexander the Great and the Persian Empire. Audran, a master engraver, produced this work after the original painting by Charles Le Brun. The composition captures the chaos of the river crossing, with soldiers and horses locked in combat amidst the water and on the muddy banks.

Audran employs a sophisticated range of line weights to define the muscular forms of the figures and the turbulent movement of the horses. The scene is organised with a focus on the central figure of Alexander, who is shown mounted and leading his troops. The background features a dense melee of soldiers, while the foreground shows the immediate physical toll of the conflict. The print includes Latin and French inscriptions at the base, which provide a moralising commentary on the nature of virtue and the overcoming of obstacles.

Technically, the work demonstrates the precision of seventeenth-century French printmaking. Audran uses cross-hatching to create depth and shadow, allowing the viewer to distinguish between the various planes of the battlefield. The scale of the original composition, intended to glorify the reign of Louis XIV through the parallel of Alexander the Great, is preserved here through the meticulous transfer of Le Brun's design onto copper plates. This print offers a clear view into the aesthetic values of the French Royal Academy, where clarity of narrative and anatomical accuracy were held in high regard. The work remains a significant example of how historical events were translated into graphic form for a wider audience during the Baroque period.