Artwork
Self-Portrait, Medallion, No.2, 11th plate
Self-Portrait, Medallion, No.2, 11th plate is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Alphonse Legros. It dates from 1874 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1874, this color lithograph presents a self‑portrait rendered within a circular medallion.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1874, this color lithograph presents a self‑portrait rendered within a circular medallion. The image occupies a roughly drawn face framed by an uneven rim, the lines executed in a loose orange‑brown hue. The composition appears intentionally unfinished, offering only a suggestion of hair and collar, and conveys a spontaneous, sketch‑like quality.
Subject & Meaning
By confining the figure to a medallion, the portrait isolates the sitter, emphasizing the act of self‑observation rather than narrative detail.
The work functions as an introspective study, the artist depicting himself in a simplified, almost caricatural manner. By confining the figure to a medallion, the portrait isolates the sitter, emphasizing the act of self‑observation rather than narrative detail. The minimal treatment invites viewers to consider the artist’s identity through the immediacy of gesture rather than elaborate representation.
Technique & Style
Executed as a color lithograph, the piece employs the lithographic process’s capacity for rapid, gestural marks. The artist applied bold, uneven strokes directly onto the stone or plate, forgoing smooth gradations in favor of a brisk, sketch‑like texture. The limited palette of orange‑brown tones underscores the work’s draftsmanship, reflecting a practice method rather than a polished final print.
History & Provenance
Alphonse Legros, a French‑born painter, etcher and sculptor who settled in Britain, produced the medallion during his London period. While teaching at the Slade School of Fine Art, he contributed significantly to the British etching revival, and this lithograph exemplifies his experimental printmaking activities of the early 1870s. Its provenance traces to Legros’s own studio output before entering public collections.
Context
The portrait emerges from a broader 19th‑century revival of print techniques in Britain, where artists explored lithography as a means of rapid expression. Legros’s position as an influential instructor at the Slade placed him at the nexus of academic training and avant‑garde practice, encouraging students to adopt direct, expressive approaches evident in this informal self‑portrait.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation: ; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
