John Singleton Copley

Copley, John Singleton (b. July 3, 1738, Boston [Mass., U.S.]--d. Sept. 9, 1815, London, Eng.) Generally considered the finest painter of colonial America, John Singleton Copley painted portraits and historical subjects. His Boston portraits show a thorough knowledge of his New England models, and his talent as a draftsman and colorist produced pictures of aristocratic elegance and grace (emigrated to London in 1775).

Copley was born on July 3, 1738, in Boston, Mass., to immigrants recently arrived from Ireland. He began to paint in about 1753. His earliest works show the influence of his stepfather, an engraver, and the Boston artist John Smibert. In about 1755 Copley met the English artist Joseph Blackburn, whose use of rococo lightness and coloring he quickly adopted. He also made use of the rococo device called portrait d'apparat--portraying the subject with objects associated with his daily life--that gave his work a distinction not usually found in 18th-century American painting.

Eager to expand his reputation beyond New England, Copley sent his Boy with a Squirrel in 1766 to the Society of Artists in London. It was praised by both Sir Joshua Reynolds and by the transported American artist Benjamin West, who urged him to come to London. He did so in 1774 and painted his first important work, Watson and the Shark, there in 1778. In this painting Copley used what became a frequent theme of 19th-century Romantic art, the struggle of humans against nature. Although he remained in England the rest of his life and was moderately successful, his historical paintings never had the vitality or realism of his Boston portraits.

Copley died in London on Sept. 9, 1815.

Other Copley Works:

Watson and the Shark - 1778

Portrait of Mrs Gill circa 1770-1 Oil on canvas (Oc) support 1280 x 1022 mm Presented by Mr and Mrs H.J. Heinz II 1979

Study for `The Collapse of the Earl of Chatham' circa 1779 Oil on canvas (Oc) frame 847 x 1170 x 67 mm support 714 x 1045 mm Purchased 1879

The Collapse of the Earl of Chatham in the House of Lords, 7 July 1778 1779-80 Oil on canvas (Oc) support 2286 x 3073 mm Presented by the Earl of Liverpool 1830

The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 1783 Oil on canvas (Oc) frame/transit frame 2600 x 3700 x 200 mm support 2515 x 3658 mm Purchased 1864

The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar, 13 September 1782; ?replica circa 1783 Oil on canvas (Oc) frame/transit frame 1690 x 2235 x 100 mm support 1346 x 1899 mm Purchased 1868

Study for `The Death of Major Peirson' circa 1783 D[pi] support 356 x 575 mm Purchased 1939