Artwork
Bruneleau
Bruneleau is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1801 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1801, Bruneleau is a small black-and-white print measuring just over five and a half centimeters square. Executed by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin, the work combines mezzotint and engraving on wove paper that has been mounted to a brown backing sheet. It belongs to the Corcoran Collection and exemplifies the intimate portrait format popular at the turn of the nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The image portrays a solitary male figure turned toward the left, dressed in a dark coat with a high, standing collar typical of the early 1800s. His hair is neatly arranged, and a single light source illuminates one cheek while the opposite side recedes into shadow, suggesting a modest yet focused presence without overt narrative content.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed mezzotint’s tonal richness by roughening a copper plate to hold ink, then smoothing selected areas to create gradations of light and dark. Engraving lines were added for definition, and fine stippling around the perimeter contributes texture. The resulting surface displays a soft, almost luminous quality that balances detail with atmospheric shading.
History & Provenance
The print has been recorded as part of the Corcoran Collection, a significant assemblage of American and European works. Its attribution to Saint‑Mémin, a French émigré active in the United States after the Revolution, situates the piece within his broader series of portrait prints produced for an American audience.
Context
Produced during a period when mezzotint was favored for its capacity to render subtle chiaroscuro, Bruneleau reflects the transatlantic exchange of artistic techniques. Saint‑Mémin’s practice of combining mezzotint with engraving allowed him to meet the demand for affordable, reproducible portraiture among the emerging American elite.
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.
