Destouches

The artist employed mezzotint, a process that involves roughening a metal plate with a rocker to hold ink and produce rich tonal gradations. Engraving lines were added to define the coat’s texture through cross‑hatching. The combination of these methods yields a nuanced surface where deep blacks transition to delicate grays, characteristic of early nineteenth‑century French printmaking.

Attributed to Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin, a French artist active during the Napoleonic era, the print entered the Corcoran Collection before being transferred to the National Gallery of Art. Its provenance traces a straightforward path from the artist’s workshop to the museum’s holdings, where it remains accessible for study.

Saint‑Mémin’s prints often blend portraiture with subtle chiaroscuro, reflecting contemporary interests in realism and the emerging middle‑class patronage of the post‑Revolutionary period. “Destouches” exemplifies the period’s fascination with intimate, individualized representations rendered through technically demanding print processes.