Description
Lord Admiral Duncan stands in uniform in John Singleton Copley’s study for a painting of the Dutch admiral’s surrender. His extended arm directs attention toward the left, giving the otherwise upright figure a clear outward gesture. The grid across the gray paper keeps the preparation visible, connecting the carefully developed participant to the larger composition for which he was drawn.
Made in 1798, the sheet combines black and red chalk with white accents on blue paper. The different marks allow Copley to develop the figure through both outline and changes of tone, keeping the working process visible. Its interest lies in the relation between a named participant and the composition being planned around him. A large naval story depends on individual human appearances, and the study offers time to consider how that particular presence can become part of a coherent painted event.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the John Singleton Copley collection.
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