Artwork
George Clinton
George Clinton is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1797 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Charles B.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center in plate: St. Memin No. 27 Pine St. N. York; lower center mount in black ink by unknown hand: Governor Clinton.
About this work
You see a dark oval print of a man’s head and shoulders. The paper is warm brown with a white border. His face is smooth with sharp shadows under his cheekbones.
This is a mezzotint engraving from 1797. Mezzotint uses tiny pits in the metal plate to hold ink. It lets artists print rich, velvety blacks like this one.
If you like this tight focus on faces, look up Rembrandt’s etchings next.
Overview
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin’s 1797 print portrays the American statesman George Clinton in a tightly cropped oval format. Executed in black mezzotint and engraving on wove paper, the image measures roughly 5.6 cm square. The work is mounted on a warm brown sheet that frames the dark portrait with a thin white border.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait presents Clinton’s head and shoulders, his smooth facial features rendered with pronounced chiaroscuro that emphasizes the planes of his cheekbones and the depth of his gaze. The focused composition underscores the sitter’s authority and dignity, typical of late‑eighteenth‑century portraiture of political figures.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed mezzotint, a printmaking method that creates a velvety tonal range by roughening a copper plate with a rocker to hold ink in countless microscopic pits. Subsequent smoothing produces the lighter areas, allowing for subtle gradations from deep black to delicate grays. The engraving elements add fine line work, enhancing the definition of facial details.
History & Provenance
Created in 1797, the print reflects the transatlantic interest in American leaders following the Revolutionary era. While specific ownership records are limited, the work is catalogued among Saint‑Mémin’s series of portraits of notable figures, indicating its role in disseminating Clinton’s image to a European audience.
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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.
