Study for “The Surrender of the Dutch Admiral De Winter to Admiral Duncan, October 11, 1797”: Three Figures Raising the Colors

Description

Three Figures Raising the Colors concentrates on a coordinated reaching action. The bodies gather in the center of a blue-gray sheet, with bent knees and lifted arms producing a sequence of rising movements. A ruled grid remains visible behind them, placing the energetic poses within an ordered working surface. The contrast between those measured divisions and the figures’ gestures gives the study a distinctive character.

John Singleton Copley drew the group in 1798 for his depiction of Admiral De Winter’s surrender following the naval action of October 11, 1797. Black and red chalk with white heightening allow contours and light to distinguish the overlapping bodies. By setting aside the complete historical scene, the drawing makes a shared action its subject, showing how separate figures can be organized into one visual movement.