Unidentified Man

1798-1803

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

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

Artist, French, 1770 - 1852

The image shows a portrait of a man displayed in a circular frame. The portrait is from the waist up, with the man positioned in profile, facing to the right. The man's hair is styled with multiple curls and falls to the nape of the neck, secured or tied in the back, revealing his forehead. He wears a high-collared garment, possibly a coat, which appears to be buttoned up and includes a white neck scarf or cravat tucked underneath. The background of the image is a dark, plain oval, contrasting with the lighter overall background of the print, which contains an engraved signature of the artist or engraver near the bottom.

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

    2015.19.1584.23.13

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Miles 1994, no. 853

Associated Artworks

See all 15 artworks
The image shows an illustration of a man's upper body in profile view, facing right. His head is slightly turned, showing his facial features, including a pronounced nose and lips. He has curly, light-colored hair styled back. He is wearing a military uniform with a high collar, shoulder decorations, and a chest strap. The circular illustration is set on a plain background. Below the circle, there is an inscription that reads "Colonel Boyd," followed by "John P."

Colonel Boyd

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1802

The image features sixteen small, circular portraits arranged in a grid of four rows by four columns. Each portrait shows a side profile view of a person's upper body. The people depicted include both men and one woman, with varied hairstyles and period-specific clothing. The men mostly have short hair, some with curls or tied back with ribbons, and they wear high-collared jackets with cravats or neckties. The woman has curly hair styled away from her face and wears a garment with a high neckline and ruffles. The portraits showcase detailed facial features in the profile view, including noses, lips, and chins. Some of the men are wearing ornamental epaulettes on their shoulders. Below each portrait is a name written elegantly to identify each subject. The background paper appears aged with a brown tone, and the design is uniform, with dark-shaded backgrounds to emphasize the lighter, detailed features of the individuals.

Saint-Mémin Collection of Portraits, Group 23

Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin

1798

The image shows a man's profile view, facing right. He has a prominent nose, an angular jawline, and neatly styled, curly hair. He is wearing a high-collared coat with a double-breasted front and a light-colored cravat tied at the neck. The man is set against a textured oval background while the rest of the image is on light paper. The lower part of the image contains handwritten script and the artist's signature, F. Menin, Philad. The environment outside the oval does not suggest any particular setting.

Dr. Jacobs

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. 142.

1994

  • Miles, Ellen G. Saint-Mémin and the Neoclassical Profile Portrait in America. Washington, DC: National Portrait Gallery, 1994, p. 411, no. 853.

Inscriptions

lower center in plate: Drawn & engrd. by St. Memin Philada.

Wikidata ID

Q77261717

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