Artwork
Lawrence Muse
Lawrence Muse is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin. It dates from 1808 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Lawrence Muse is a small black‑and‑white portrait print created in 1808 by the French artist Charles B. J. Févret de Saint‑Mémin. Executed as a mezzotint combined with engraving, the image measures roughly 5.7 by 5.6 centimetres, comparable to a postage stamp, and is held in the Corcoran Collection.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a male sitter dressed in early‑nineteenth‑century attire, featuring a high white collar and tightly curled hair. The precise rendering of facial features and clothing suggests an intention to capture the individual’s social standing and personal likeness, typical of portraiture of the period.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Mémin employed the mezzotint process to achieve rich tonal gradations, while fine engraving lines define the hair, skin, and fabric folds. The combination of these techniques allows subtle shading within the limited scale, producing a nuanced, almost photographic quality despite the print’s modest size.
History & Provenance
Created during Saint‑Mémin’s exile in the United States following the French Revolution, the portrait reflects his prolific output of American subjects. The piece later entered the Corcoran Collection, where it remains documented as part of the museum’s holdings of early American portrait prints.
Context
In the early 1800s, mezzotint and engraving were popular methods for reproducing portraits, offering a means to disseminate images of notable individuals. Saint‑Mémin, trained in the French academic tradition, brought his expertise to the American market, where demand for such prints was high among the emerging 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.
