John Peter Van Ness

1806

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

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

Artist, French, 1770 - 1852

The image depicts a side profile bust of a man, capturing him from the chest upwards. The man is facing right with his head slightly upright. He has light-colored hair styled in late 18th-century fashion, featuring soft curls and a prominent wave at the front, with the back tied in a queue. His facial features include a prominent nose and a firm jawline. The man wears a dark coat with a high collar and visible buttons, and a white cravat around his neck. The background is a dark circular field fading into a light border. Below the portrait is the handwritten signature "John Van Ness."

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): 5.72 × 5.56 cm (2 1/4 × 2 3/16 in.)
    sheet (trimmed to plate): 6.83 × 6.19 cm (2 11/16 × 2 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.1584.33.2

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Miles 1994, no. 899

  • Series Title

    Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits

Associated Artworks

See all 15 artworks
This illustration displays the upper body of a man in a profile view facing to the right. The man is depicted from the chest up, with his head turned to the side. He has a prominent nose, a well-defined jawline, and his hair is styled in tight curls with a short ponytail tied at the back. The man is dressed in formal attire including a high-collared shirt and a coat with large buttons. The coat appears to be made of a heavy fabric, depicted with fine shading. The background is a plain, circular gray field. Below the image is a handwritten signature reading "B. Washington. Bushrod" against an off-white background.

William Augustine Washington III

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1804

Sixteen engraved portraits are arranged in a 4x4 grid. Each portrait features a bust view of a man in profile, positioned to the side within circular frames. Only the heads and shoulders of the individuals are shown. The men are of mature age and have varied hair styles. The facial features are sharp, with prominent noses and chins. Each man is dressed in period clothing, with high-collared coats over waistcoats and white cravats or neck cloths. The portraits are labeled with names beneath each circle. The background is plain, focusing attention solely on each individual.

Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 33

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1803

The image displays a portrait featuring the upper half of a person's body, from the shoulders up, in profile facing right. The individual has a prominent nose, firm jawline, gray thinning hair combed back with curls at the nape of the neck, and is dressed in a formal high-collared garment with a dark coat and a visible white cravat or ruffled shirt. There is no visible jewelry. The background is a circular, dark-toned space. Below the portrait, the name "Timothy Pickering" is handwritten in cursive script on a rectangular section of the image.

Timothy Pickering

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1806

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. 405.

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. 418, no. 899.

Inscriptions

lower center mount in black ink by unknown hand: John P. Van Ness.

Wikidata ID

Q77261955

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