Jane Barr Stuart Newton

1805

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

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

Artist, French, 1770 - 1852

The image depicts a portrait of a woman's upper body, shown in profile from the waist up. She is positioned with her head turned to the right. She has a calm expression and focused look. Her facial features are detailed, including a high brow and a well-defined nose. Her hair is styled in an updo with curls and decorative clips. She wears an elegant garment with embroidery on the neckline and shoulders, and a string of pearls or beads around her neck. The background is a plain, textured circle. Below the image, there is handwritten text identifying the subject.

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

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.1584.49.4

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Miles 1994, no. 615

Associated Artworks

See all 15 artworks
The image depicts a side profile portrait of a man in late 18th to early 19th-century attire. The man has a composed expression with well-defined facial features, a Roman nose, and styled hair with curls framing his face, pulled back into a ponytail. He is wearing a dark coat with large buttons, a high-collared shirt, and a cravat. The background is a plain circle on aged paper, with the name "Dr. Dick" inscribed at the bottom.

Elisha Cullen Dick

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1805

The image contains fourteen oval portraits arranged in a grid format. Each portrait shows a bust-length profile of different individuals, both men and women, predominantly in side view. The men have various styles of short hair and are dressed in dark coats with high collars and cravats. The women have their hair styled up and are wearing garments with high collars and puffed sleeves. Below each portrait are names written in cursive script. The background of each portrait is a simple, neutral tone within an oval frame, set against a plain, light brown backing. There are no visible items of jewelry. The focus is on the faces and upper bodies of the subjects and their period clothing.

Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 49

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1800

The image depicts a man's profile from the shoulders up. He has a prominent nose and sharp facial lines. His hair is wavy and styled back. He is wearing a coat with a high collar, visible buttons, and a layered neckcloth. The background is a shaded oval on a light canvas, with the name "Sutton" handwritten below the image on a label.

John Sutton

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1805

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. 693.

1940

  • Catalogue of Engraved Portraits by Favret de Saint Memin, 1770-1852. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1940, p. 15.

1942

  • Norfleet, Fillmore. Saint-Mémin in Virginia: Portraits and Biographies. Richmond, Virginia: The Dietz Press, 1942, p. 195.

1994

  • Miles, Ellen G. Saint-Mémin and the Neoclassical Profile Portrait in America. Washington, DC: National Portrait Gallery, 1994, pp. 361-362, no. 615.

Inscriptions

upper center mount in graphite by unknown hand: x; upper center mount in black ink by unknown hand: (see page 63); lower center mount in black ink by unknown hand: Mrs. Alexe. Smyth. [strikethrough] / Mrs. Wm. Newton.

Wikidata ID

Q77262485

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