Artwork
Unidentified Man
Unidentified Man is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1800 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
Rendered as a small, circular image, the work combines mezzotint and engraving on wove paper that has been mounted onto a brown‑toned backing.
Created around 1800, this black-and-white print by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin presents a solitary male figure in profile. Rendered as a small, circular image, the work combines mezzotint and engraving on wove paper that has been mounted onto a brown‑toned backing. The sitter’s identity remains unknown, inviting viewers to focus on the formal qualities of the portrait rather than narrative content.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows the head and upper torso of a man turned sideways, dressed in a dark coat with a contrasting light cravat. The profile pose, a popular convention of the era, emphasizes the sitter’s facial features and attire, offering clues to contemporary fashion and social status while leaving personal biography deliberately ambiguous.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed a hybrid process, first establishing tonal depth through mezzotint and then refining lines with engraving. Executed entirely in black on fine wove paper, the image achieves subtle gradations of shadow that model the figure’s form. The circular format, known as a “tondo,” was a fashionable choice for intimate portraiture in the early nineteenth century.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to a series of small circular portraits produced by Saint‑Mémin during his American exile and subsequent return to France. Though the specific collector history of this particular piece is not documented, it reflects the artist’s broader practice of creating affordable, reproducible likenesses for a growing market of portrait consumers.
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.
