Artwork
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1799 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The print presents a portrait of Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint‑MÉmin, rendered in black mezzotint on wove paper.
About this work
Overview
The print presents a portrait of Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint‑MÉmin, rendered in black mezzotint on wove paper. Measuring just under 18 by 13 centimeters, the work belongs to the Rosenwald Collection and exemplifies the intimate scale typical of 19th‑century portrait prints.
Subject & Meaning
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint‑MÉmin, a noted French diplomat and artist, is the sole figure depicted. The portrait conveys his status through a dignified pose and careful rendering of facial features, reflecting the era’s interest in documenting prominent individuals for posterity.
Technique & Style
Executed in mezzotint—a process that creates rich tonal gradations through a burnished copper plate—the image also incorporates engraving details. The combination of deep shadows and delicate highlights produces a three‑dimensional effect, while the black ink on wove paper emphasizes the sitter’s likeness without ornamental distraction.
History & Provenance
This particular mezzotint was produced by Max Rosenthal, an American engraver active in the late 1800s. It entered the Rosenwald Collection, a major assemblage of American art. A second, related mezzotint and an engraving of Saint‑MÉmin are held by the Corcoran Collection, indicating the subject’s broader visual documentation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
