Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1797
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
William Seton is a 1797 ink by Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This small print shows William Seton’s face in profile, wearing a coat and cravat. Light hits his cheek and jaw, while shadows soften the rest. The artist used fine cross-hatching to build up the gray tones. Mezzotint is tricky—you rough a metal plate, then smooth it to create darks and lights. Saint-Mémin made just one tiny print before it wore out. Look up the printmaking technique called mezzotint.
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin (French pronunciation: ; 1770–1852) was a French portrait painter and museum director.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
