Artwork
Helena Bache
Helena Bache 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.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center in plate: St. Memin No. 27 Pine St. N. York; lower center mount in black ink by unknown hand: Miss Bache. / Helen
About this work
Overview
This 1797 print by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin portrays Helena Bache in a profile view, facing right, executed in mezzotint and engraving on wove paper, mounted on brown wove paper.
Subject & Meaning
Helena Bache is depicted with a prominent nose and delicate lips, conveying a sense of individuality. Her attire, including a lace-trimmed headscarf with a bow and ruffled neck/shoulder details, suggests elegance and refinement, highlighting her social stature.
Technique & Style
The artwork combines mezzotint and engraving techniques, allowing for detailed, high-contrast rendering of Helena Bache's features and intricate clothing textures, characteristic of late 18th-century portrait engraving.
History & Provenance
Created in 1797 by French artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, the print's provenance is not detailed here, though its creation date places it within the late Enlightenment era.
Context
This portrait reflects the late 18th-century European tradition of engraved portraits, popular among the upper classes for their detail and reproducibility, capturing the sitter's likeness and status.
Own this work as a print
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.
