Study for Siege of Gibraltar
Artist
John Singleton Copley
(American, 1738 - 1815)
Date1785-1786
MediumCharcoal and white chalk on [?]
Dimensions20 1/2 x 26 in.
ClassificationsDrawing
Credit LineA. W. Stanley Fund
Terms
Object number1968.07
DescriptionIn 1783, the British Court of the Common Council commissioned Copley to paint "Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782". From 1785-86, Copley embarked on an ambitious series of four preparatory studies for the finished painting. The subject of the New Britain drawing and the three other studies is the siege of British-controlled Gibraltar in southern Spain by French and Spanish armies that began in July, 1779. Copley focused on the climax of the military episode and drew his figures in a variety of dramatic poses and positions. In "Study for the Siege of Gibraltar", he emphasized the moments of tragedy, pain, and agony of the siege as the stranded men anxiously await their rescue. Copley's exquisite handling of the figures' clothing in white chalk and his deft shading of their anatomical features and poses in black charcoal illustrate his superb understanding of the human figure in motion and his masterful ability in capturing human emotion. Copley recreated the events of the siege using props as models to complete the drawings. By 1786, he had completed the series of studies and as one visitor to Copley's studio remarked:
…literally laying siege to Gibraltar, as he had not only of the fortress, but of gun boats, ship tackle, men, and every instrument of destruction arranged before him in all stages of his progress.
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