James Thompson

1801

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

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

Artist, French, 1770 - 1852

The image shows a side profile of a man's upper body and head, positioned in a formal pose facing to the right. He has distinctive facial features with a prominent nose and a strong jawline. His hair is light-colored, curly, and styled in a fashion typical of the late 18th century or early 19th century. He is wearing a high-collared military uniform with a double-breasted coat featuring large buttons and elaborate shoulder epaulettes composed of braided cords. The background is a plain circular dark area, which frames the subject's profile. Beneath the image, a caption reads "Capitaine Thompson" in elegant script, and there is an attribution indicating that the work was drawn and engraved by an artist named St. Memin in Philadelphia.

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

    2015.19.1584.18.13

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Miles 1994, no. 818

Associated Artworks

See all 15 artworks
The image is a portrait illustration of a person drawn in a side profile. The person is positioned to the left, gazing to the right. They have distinct facial features, including a pronounced nose and full lips, curly hair, and a medium complexion. They are wearing an earring. Their garment consists of a dark coat with a high collar, buttons, and a light-colored cravat. The background is a dark circle, and the person's name, "St Guilly," is inscribed at the bottom on a tan strip.

St. Guily

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1801

The image consists of fifteen individual portraits arranged in a grid of five rows and three columns. Each portrait shows a side profile of a man's head and shoulders within circular frames. The men vary in facial features, hairstyles, and clothing. Names are inscribed below each portrait, and the arrangement is on a flat, subtly varied background.

Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 18

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1799

The image shows an illustration of a man in a side profile. The man has a prominent nose, a strong chin, and wavy hair that extends to his nape. He is wearing a dark jacket with a high collar, buttons, and a cravat or scarf around his neck. The background is a simple circular frame with a solid, dark color. At the bottom, the text displays the name "Bazile."

Bazile

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1801

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. 418.

1940

  • Catalogue of Engraved Portraits by Favret de Saint Memin, 1770-1852. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1940, p. 17.

1994

  • Miles, Ellen G. Saint-Mémin and the Neoclassical Profile Portrait in America. Washington, DC: National Portrait Gallery, 1994, p. 405, no. 818.

Inscriptions

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

Wikidata ID

Q77261559

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