Artwork
Theodosia Burr
Theodosia Burr is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
This black‑and‑white print presents a portrait of Theodosia Burr, rendered in a calm, composed pose. The figure is dressed in attire that reflects an earlier fashion, lending the image a sense of historical distance. The work combines mezzotint and engraving techniques on wove paper, which has been mounted onto a brown wove backing for support.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Theodosia Burr, is depicted with a serene facial expression, suggesting dignity and restraint. Her clothing, styled in an antiquated mode, emphasizes her social standing and the period’s conventions of female portraiture, while the subdued demeanor invites contemplation of her personal narrative within the early nineteenth‑century milieu.
Technique & Style
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin executed the image using mezzotint—a tonal printing method that allows for rich gradations—combined with fine engraving lines for detail. This hybrid approach yields a highly finished surface, capturing subtle textures of fabric and flesh, and showcases Saint‑Mémin’s reputation for precise reproductions of painted portraits.
History & Provenance
The print is a reproduction after an original portrait by Thomas Bluget De Valdenuit. Saint‑Mémin, a French artist active in the early 1800s, frequently created such copies for a market that prized accessible versions of notable likenesses. The work’s survival on mounted paper indicates it was intended for collection or display in a domestic setting.
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.
