Artwork
Unidentified Man
Unidentified Man 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. Created around 1800, this black-and-white print by Charles B.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1800, this black-and-white print by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin presents a solitary male figure in profile. Executed as a mezzotint and engraving on wove paper that has been mounted to a brown‑toned sheet, the work measures only a few inches in diameter, reflecting its role as part of a series of small circular portraits.
Subject & Meaning
The image concentrates on the sitter’s face and upper torso, rendered in strict profile. He is dressed in a dark coat complemented by a contrasting light cravat, attire that suggests a formal, perhaps middle‑class, identity of the early nineteenth century. The emphasis on facial features conveys a focus on individual likeness rather than narrative content.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed the mezzotint process, a tonal method that allows subtle gradations of light and shadow, combined with fine engraving lines to delineate details of clothing and facial expression. The contrast between the deep blacks of the mezzotint and the crisp, delicate lines of the engraving enhances the three‑dimensional illusion on the flat paper surface.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to a collection of similarly sized circular portraits that were likely produced as a set for collectors to display together. Although the sitter remains unidentified, the work exemplifies Saint‑Mémin’s interest in portraiture during his American and French periods, and it has been preserved in museum holdings as a representative example of early nineteenth‑century printmaking.
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.
