Artwork Page for Portrait of a Man

Details / Information for Portrait of a Man

Portrait of a Man

1800

Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin

(French, 1759–1832)
Culture
France, late 18th-early 19th Century
Medium
Black chalk with stumping heightened with white gouache on light brown wove paper
Support
Light brown-yellow wove paper, laid down on white wove paper
Measurements
Sheet: 22.1 x 17.5 cm (8 11/16 x 6 7/8 in.); Image: 20.3 x 16 cm (8 x 6 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2008.406
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
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Description

Although the size of this carefully worked crayon drawing is modest, it is actually much larger than a typical work by Jean-Baptiste Augustin. As a leading painter of ivory portrait miniatures in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Augustin stood out because of the precision and naturalism of his style. Although the sitter in this drawing is no longer known, Augustin's naturalistic technique and the sitter's slight, easy smile encourage a familiar connection with the viewer.
A vertical portrait in black chalk and white gouache on light brown paper depicts a man with curly dark hair. Facing slightly left, his gaze meets ours with a faint smile. He wears a high-collared dark jacket featuring large, round buttons and embroidered trim. Soft shading defines his face, while precise lines detail his features against a plain background. Handwritten inscriptions "Augustin" and "1800" mark the lower left and right corners.

Portrait of a Man

1800

Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin

(French, 1759–1832)
France, late 18th-early 19th Century

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