Artwork
Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work is a small black-and-white portrait of Jonathan Williams, executed in 1798 by the French-American artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin. Measuring just 5.56 by 5.56 centimetres, the image is printed on wove paper that has been mounted onto a brown‑toned wove backing, giving the piece a compact, framed appearance.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed a hybrid printmaking process that merges mezzotint and engraving with elements of etching, aquatint and roulette. The combination allows for deep, velvety shadows alongside fine linear detail, demonstrating the artist’s facility with multiple intaglio methods to render texture and tonal variation within a single, monochrome image.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait presents Jonathan Williams, a notable figure of his era, in a restrained, formal pose. The limited scale and subdued palette focus attention on the sitter’s facial features and attire, suggesting a document of personal identity rather than an elaborate narrative composition.
History & Provenance
Created in the late eighteenth century, the print reflects Saint‑Mémin’s practice of producing intimate portraiture for diplomatic and scientific circles. The work has remained in private collections, documented in catalogues of the artist’s prints, and continues to be cited as an example of his skill in integrating diverse intaglio techniques.
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.
