Author Description

Johann Ulrich Kraus Was Born To A Widely Dispersed Family Of Artists And Artisans. He Was The Son Of The Carpenter Ulrich Kraus And Received Initial Training In Carpentry From Him. In 1671 His Father Was Unsuccessful In His Application For Permission That His 16 Year-old Son Should Work As An Independently Trained Woodcutter. Instead Kraus Enrolled As An Apprentice To The Engraver Melchior Küsel, Himself A Student And Son In Law Of Merian. 00following The Apprenticeship, Kraus Spent Some Years In Vienna Before Returning To His Home Town Augsburg Where In 1685 He Married Johanna Sibylla Küsel, Eldest Daughter Of His Master Who Had Died The Previous Year (1683/4) Shortly Thereafter, Kraus Took Over Küsel's Publishing Business. In 1687 Johann Ulrich Kraus Published His First Work: A Reproduction Of The Tapisseries Du Roy, Which Had First Been Published In Paris In 1679. They Were Etched By His Wife Johanna Sibylla, Who Had Also Been Trained By Her Father. Biblische Engel- Und Kunstwerk Followed In 1694 And Led The Way For A Whole Series Of Religious Books For Which Kraus Had Developed A Relatively Uniform Print Layout, Thus Ensuring That His Publications Formed A Visually Recognizable Brand.