Artwork
Ralph Izard II
Ralph Izard II is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1805 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
It belongs to the Corcoran Collection, illustrating the artist’s engagement with portraiture during the early nineteenth century.
Created in 1805, this small print depicts Ralph Izard II and is attributed to the French-American artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin. Executed as a mezzotint combined with engraving, the work measures just 5.72 by 5.56 centimeters and is mounted on brown wove paper. It belongs to the Corcoran Collection, illustrating the artist’s engagement with portraiture during the early nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents Ralph Izard II in a solemn pose, his expression rendered with a restrained gravity. Dressed in attire that reflects the fashion of the late eighteenth century, the portrait conveys a sense of dignity and social standing, typical of the era’s emphasis on personal reputation and lineage in printed portraiture.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed a hybrid process, first preparing a mezzotint ground to achieve rich tonal gradations, then adding fine linear engraving to define facial features and clothing details. The black ink on wove paper, later mounted to a brown backing, allows subtle contrasts that enhance the three‑dimensional illusion despite the work’s diminutive scale.
History & Provenance
The print entered the Corcoran Collection, a significant repository of American art, where it has been preserved as part of the institution’s early American portrait holdings. Its attribution to Saint‑Mémin, a noted portraitist who worked in both France and the United States, underscores the transatlantic artistic exchanges of the period.
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.
