Jonathan Burrall
1798-1803
Medium
mezzotint and engraving in black on wove paper mounted to brown wove paper
Dimensions
image (irregular): 5.56 × 5.56 cm (2 3/16 × 2 3/16 in.) sheet (trimmed to plate): 6.67 × 6.19 cm (2 5/8 × 2 7/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of William Wilson Corcoran)
Accession Number
2015.19.1584.52.10
Art Historical Context
Created between 1798 and 1803, this intimate portrait of Jonathan Burrall showcases the refined printmaking skills of Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin, a French émigré artist who became renowned in early America for his profile likenesses. Working during the young republic’s formative years, Saint-Mémin catered to a growing middle class eager for affordable yet elegant portraits of notable citizens. The circular format and modest scale—barely two inches across—typify the portable keepsakes he produced for private albums and personal collections. The print’s combination of mezzotint and eng...
About the Artist
Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin
**Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin** Born on March 12, 1770, in Dijon, France, to marquis Bénigne-Charles Févret de Saint-Mémin, a former conseiller au Parlement de Bourgogne, and Victoire-Marie de Motmans, a creole from Port-au-Prince, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin received a military education at the École Militaire in Paris, graduating in 1785. He served as a cad...