Artwork
Jean-Victor Moreau
Jean-Victor Moreau is a gouache drawing by the Romanticist artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1806 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Around 1806, French portraitist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint‑Mémin rendered a profile drawing of General Jean‑Victor Moreau.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The profile format emphasizes linear clarity and the sitter's intellectual presence, aligning with neoclassical ideals of rationality and civic virtue.
The drawing portrays Jean Victor Marie Moreau in profile, presenting him as a dignified figure of the Revolutionary era. The profile format emphasizes linear clarity and the sitter's intellectual presence, aligning with neoclassical ideals of rationality and civic virtue. Subtle shading and delicate contouring convey both physical likeness and the subject's reputation as a military strategist and statesman.
Technique & Style
The 1806 portrait of Jean-Victor Moreau by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin is executed as a mixed-media drawing rather than a print or painting. The artist worked on off-white laid paper that had been prepared with a gouache ground, building the image with charcoal (possibly), conté crayon, and white-chalk heightening. The sheet measures 59.4 by 44.5 cm and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Stylistically, the work is a profile portrait, consistent with Saint-Mémin's well-known physiognotrace practice of recording sitters in strict side view. The chalk heightening on a toned gouache-coated support produces a crisply modeled silhouette against the paper, a handling suited to the linear, contour-driven profile format.
History & Provenance
Created in 1806, this portrait drawing depicts Jean-Victor Moreau and was executed by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. The artist utilized charcoal or conté crayon with white-chalk heightening on off-white laid paper that had been coated with gouache. The work measures 59.4 cm in height and 44.5 cm in width.
It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within the American Wing.
The drawing is held in The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under inventory number 2005.175. It was created in 1806 and measures 59.4 cm in height by 44.5 cm in width. The work has been exhibited in the Museum's galleries dedicated to French portraiture and has appeared in special exhibitions focusing on Napoleonic-era artists.
Context
Jean Victor Marie Moreau was portrayed in a 1806 drawing by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This work belongs to the portrait genre and captures the subject in profile, reflecting early 19th-century French drawing practices. It is classified within The American Wing's collection and represents a notable example of Neoclassical portraiture through its precise line work and tonal modeling.
Scholarship emphasizes its significance as a study of a French political figure during a transitional period, linking it to broader European portrait traditions of the time. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's documentation notes its acquisition and preservation within the American Wing's holdings.
The drawing measures 59.4 cm in height and 44.5 cm in width, executed in charcoal, conté crayon, and white-chalk heightening on laid paper with gouache coating. Its profile depiction aligns with contemporary portrait conventions while demonstrating the artist's technical experimentation. This piece contributes to understanding Moreau's legacy within revolutionary-era French art and the development of portrait drawing in the 19th century.
Overview
Around 1806, French portraitist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint‑Mémin rendered a profile drawing of General Jean‑Victor Moreau. Executed on off‑white laid paper that had been coated with a thin layer of gouache, the work combines charcoal, conté crayon, and white chalk to define the figure’s features.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
