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Charles Nicolas Cochin the Elder

1688-1754 Paris

Charles Nicolas Cochin, son of the painter Charles Cochin, began work as a painter himself before turning his attention to printmaking at the age of twenty-two. Admitted to the Académie Royale in the summer of 1731, Cochin made a name for himself primarily as a reproductive engraver, producing technically flawless prints after Chardin, Watteau, Lancret and other prominent artists of his time. One of his first commissions was a contribution to the “Histoire et Description de l’Hôtel des Invalides”, a volume of reproductive engravings featuring illustrations of the ceiling paintings and sculptures in this prominent secular building. Cochin’s extensive printed oeuvre comprises a large number of allegorical and religious scenes.