Joseph Clay

1799

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

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

Artist, French, 1770 - 1852

The image shows a profile portrait of a man's upper body. He is facing to the side, looking towards the right. The man has distinct facial features, including a notable nose and chin, along with short, curly hair extending to the nape of his neck. He is dressed in a dark coat with large buttons and an elevated collar, typical of late 18th to early 19th-century fashion, and wears a light-colored cravat. In the background, there is a circular, darkly shaded area with a light border and inscriptions around it in cursive, along with the artist's credit. Below the portrait is the handwritten name "Th: Clay" in bold script.

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): 6.83 × 6.19 cm (2 11/16 × 2 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.1584.13.10

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Miles 1994, no. 169

Associated Artworks

See all 15 artworks
The image is a portrait of a person in a side profile view. The individual has distinct facial features with curly hair tied back and is wearing a dark coat with a high collar over a white cravat. The background is a simple dark circle. The name "Caleb Swann" is inscribed at the bottom along with the artist's signature.

Caleb Swan

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1799

The image displays fifteen circular portrait illustrations of men in formal 18th-century attire, each set against a beige square background. The men are depicted from the chest up, showing various hairstyles including powdered wigs and tied-back natural hair. The subjects face either left or right and are named below their portrait in stylized script.

Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 13

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1799

The image displays an engraved portrait of a man facing right, showcasing his features from the waist up. The man has short, wavy hair and distinct facial features, including a prominent nose and a firm jawline. He is dressed in a formal jacket with a high collar and a white cravat or stock tied around his neck. The background is a dark oval shape on a lighter paper, framing the figure. Below the portrait, the name "John Smith" is handwritten in cursive script.

John Smith

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1799

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. 428.

1940

  • Catalogue of Engraved Portraits by Favret de Saint Memin, 1770-1852. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1940, p. 11.

1994

  • Miles, Ellen G. Saint-Mémin and the Neoclassical Profile Portrait in America. Washington, DC: National Portrait Gallery, 1994, p. 271, no. 169.

Inscriptions

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

Wikidata ID

Q77261404

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