Artwork
Self-Portrait
Self-Portrait is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1800 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By depicting his own features with careful detail, the painting functions as both a record of his appearance and a statement of artistic self-awareness.
The work is a self-portrait miniature that shows the artist himself, using the conventions of early-nineteenth-century portraiture to assert his identity and professional standing. Rendered around 1800, the piece was created by Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin, a French miniaturist active in the period, and is housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art. By depicting his own features with careful detail, the painting functions as both a record of his appearance and a statement of artistic self-awareness.
History & Provenance
The work titled Self-Portrait is classified as a painting in the portrait genre, dated to around 1800. According to the Cleveland Museum of Art record, the piece is a portrait miniature attributed to the French artist Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin (1759–1832). It is held by the museum under accession number 1940.1202, having entered the collection in 1940. No earlier commissioning details or prior owners are recorded in the available sources.
The self-portrait miniature by Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art under accession number 1940.1202. While the piece is dated to roughly 1800–1805, the records confirm its current location within the museum's holdings in Cleveland. No specific details regarding past exhibitions or loan history are available in the current documentation.
Context
Attributed to French miniaturist Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin, the Self-Portrait miniature dates to the turn of the 19th century, with documented inception between 1800 and 1805, and is presently held by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Classified as a painting and a portrait, the work belongs to the tradition of French portrait miniatures that flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, reflecting the period's emphasis on intimate, privately displayed likenesses. Its status as a self-portrait places it within Augustin's broader practice of exploring identity through miniature formats. The available documentation does not mention contemporary critical reception or later scholarly analysis of the piece.
Overview
This small, oval painting presents a self-portrait, characterized by a subdued color palette and a sense of age. The artist's features appear with a gentle pallor, framed by an elaborate gold setting. The artwork conveys a quiet introspection, its muted tones and softened contours contributing to an overall impression of timelessness and delicate preservation.
Technique & Style
The artist employed a technique that blurs the boundaries between the subject and the background, creating a soft, almost ethereal quality. The face exhibits a light complexion, with subtle hints of color in the lips and hair, avoiding sharp contrasts. This gradual blending of tones and edges, reminiscent of sfumato, lends the portrait a gentle, dreamlike appearance, suggesting a deliberate artistic choice to soften the sitter's presence.
Artist & collection
- Self-Portrait
Mr. Willem Boreel (1744-1796), magistrate of Amsterdam
Abbé Charles Bossut (1730–1814)
Mrs. Abijah Cheever (Elizabeth Scott)
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Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792)