Benjamin West

1798

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

Associated Names
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

Artist, French, 1770 - 1852

The image shows an engraved portrait of a man from the shoulders up, facing to the right. The man has short, curly white hair, a prominent nose, and a strong chin. He is wearing a dark coat with a high collar and a white cravat around his neck. The background is a simple dark circle. There are no visible pieces of jewelry or objects. Writing under the portrait credits someone in Philadelphia for the engraving or drawing, signed "Ben West."

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    mezzotint and engraving in black on wove paper mounted to brown wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Gift of William Wilson Corcoran)

  • Dimensions

    image (irregular): 5.56 × 5.56 cm (2 3/16 × 2 3/16 in.)
    sheet (trimmed to plate): 6.67 × 6.19 cm (2 5/8 × 2 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.1584.11.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Miles 1994, no. 940

Associated Artworks

See all 15 artworks
The image features fifteen engraved portraits arranged in a grid format. Each portrait shows a head-and-shoulders profile of individuals facing left or right, with varying facial features. The men generally have prominent noses and high foreheads, styled with short curls or wigs, and some have ribbon-tied queues. The woman wears a bonnet. The individuals are dressed in period attire, including high-collared coats and waistcoats, with some wearing cravats. The background for each portrait is a plain circle. Below each portrait, a name is printed on the matting. The collection is mounted on a beige or light brown background.

Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 11

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1798

This image is a portrait of a man in profile view. He has a serious expression and is dressed in formal attire. The background is dark, creating a classic look. A handwritten label below the portrait identifies the subject as Joseph Reed.

Joseph Reed, Jr.

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1798

The image depicts a man in profile view from the chest upwards. He is facing to the right, with attention to details like his nose and lips. His hair is styled in an 18th-century fashion with tight curls and a powdered appearance, drawn back en masse. The man is wearing a dark coat with visible buttons and a white cravat or ruffled shirt. There are ribbons tied at the back of his hair. The background is a simple dark circular frame against a lighter backdrop. The lower section of the image contains elegant handwriting with the name "Hill Wells" and other words.

William Hill Wells

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1798

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

the artist, Dijon, France; Léon Victor Raoul Leclerc, Vicomte de Juigné (the artist's nephew), Dijon, France, 1852; (Henry Stevens, London, England, c. 1859); William W. Corcoran, Washington, DC, c. 1874; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1875; acquired 2015 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1862

  • Dexter, Elias. The St. Memin Collection of Portraits; Consisting of Seven Hundred and Sixty Medallion Portraits, Principally of Distinguished Americans. Elias Dexter: New York, 1862, no. 709.

1940

  • Catalogue of Engraved Portraits by Favret de Saint Memin, 1770-1852. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1940, p. 18.

1994

  • Miles, Ellen G. Saint-Mémin and the Neoclassical Profile Portrait in America. Washington, DC: National Portrait Gallery, 1994, p. 428, no. 940.

Inscriptions

lower center in plate: Drawn & engrd. by St. Memin Philadela.; lower center mount in black ink by unknown hand: Ben West.

Wikidata ID

Q77261321

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