Biography

Engraver, part of a French family of engravers. Other known engravers from the family are Pierre Aveline I (c. 1656-1722), Pierre-Alexandre Aveline II (1702-1760) and François-Antoine Aveline (1718-1780). Topographical representations were the speciality of Pierre I and Antoine.

Pierre-Alexandre Aveline was the son of Pierre Aveline (c. 1656-1722). He was a student of Jean-Baptiste de Poilly. His oeuvre consists of 123 prints, most of them published by Gabriel Huquier. He worked with the burin on a previously etched base; usually he signed himself P. AVELINE, but he used the monogram P.A. on small-scale works. In 1737 he was approved (agréé) by the Académie Royale but was struck off in 1742, not having finished the portraits of Louis Galloche and Jean-François de Troy that had been set as his morceaux de réception. In 1753 he was once more approved but was never received (reçu) as an academician.

He engraved many compositions after François Boucher. He also reproduced some of Charles-Joseph Natoire's paintings. He is best known for his reproductions of works by Antoine Watteau, including L'Enseigne de Gersaint. He also supplied portraits, illustrations and many ornaments for books. He participated in two great printmaking enterprises: the engraving of Charles Le Brun's Galerie de Versailles after designs by Jean-Baptiste Massé, and the Fables of Jean de La Fontaine (1755-59) after Jean-Baptiste Oudry.