Artwork
Thomas Turner
Thomas Turner is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1808 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
This print presents Thomas Turner in a left‑facing profile, rendered in stark black on wove paper that has been mounted to a brown backing. The image is executed as a mezzotint combined with engraving, producing a highly detailed likeness that emphasizes the sitter’s facial features and modest attire.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts Turner wearing unadorned clothing, suggesting a focus on his personal identity rather than status. The profile pose, a conventional format for portraiture of the period, directs attention to the contours of his face and the expression conveyed through subtle shading.
Technique & Style
Created by scraping a metal plate to form a mezzotint ground and then incising fine lines for engraving, the artist achieves a rich tonal range. The dense network of minute lines builds gradual shadows, giving the portrait a three‑dimensional quality despite the monochrome medium.
History & Provenance
The print is part of the Saint‑Mémin Collection of Portraits, a body of works assembled by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin. It remains catalogued within that collection, documenting the artist’s engagement with portraiture through printmaking techniques of the late eighteenth century.
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.
