John Gay

1802

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

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

Artist, French, 1770 - 1852

This image is a portrait of a man in a profile position facing right. He has distinct facial features, including a prominent nose and slightly upward-turned mouth. His hair is neatly styled with a slight wave in the front. The man is wearing a high-collared garment, possibly a coat or jacket, and a white cravat wrapped around his neck. There are no visible accessories or objects in his hands. The background is a plain, muted tone. Handwriting at the bottom includes the name "John Usay."

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

    2015.19.1584.22.12

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Miles 1994, no. 344

Associated Artworks

See all 15 artworks
The image is a portrait showing the upper half of the body from the chest up. The person is positioned in profile, looking to the right of the image. He has short, neatly combed hair with a slight wave, and his facial features include a sharp nose and a defined chin. The man's attire is a high-collared coat with large buttons visible along the front. The background is a simple, circular, shaded area. There is a signature and some text written below the portrait on a textured surface.

Isaac Henry

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1802

The image consists of fifteen circular profile portraits arranged in a grid with three rows and five columns. Each portrait shows the upper body and head of a man in traditional formal attire. All men are side-on, facing right, with various hairstyles but no facial hair. The background of each portrait is a plain dark gradient circle. The names of the individuals are written below each image in cursive handwriting: Henry Isaac, John A. Smith, Tristam B. Freeman, Frederick Haubl, Cornelius Comegyg, A. Wilson, Ant. Morris, John Watson, Jr., Henry Kenson, Ferguson Robert Renshawe, Henry Kibel, John Ray, Gray, and Dannie Philips. The surrounding background is light brown.

Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 22

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1796

The image is a portrait depicting a man from the chest upwards, shown in profile facing to the right. The man has wavy, short light-colored hair and distinct facial features including a slightly pointed nose. He is wearing formal attire, consisting of a dark coat with visible buttons and a high-collared white shirt neatly folded around his neck. The portrait is set against a simple, dark-toned background and is contained within a circular frame. Below the portrait is the handwritten name "John R. Smith".

John R. Smith

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1802

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. 182.

1940

  • Catalogue of Engraved Portraits by Favret de Saint Memin, 1770-1852. Washington, DC: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1940, p. 13.

1994

  • Miles, Ellen G. Saint-Mémin and the Neoclassical Profile Portrait in America. Washington, DC: National Portrait Gallery, 1994, p. 305, no. 344.

Inscriptions

lower center in plate: Drawn & engrd. by St. Memin Philada.; lower center mount in black ink by unknown hand: John Gay.

Wikidata ID

Q77261680

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