Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar": Figures Scaling Floating Battery; Cannon
Original title: Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar": Figures Scaling Floating Battery; Cannon
kurzbeschreibung
Two figures haul themselves up ropes, with a gun emplacement suggested behind them. John Singleton Copley drew this preparatory study in 1785–86 using black and red chalk on blue laid paper, as groundwork for his monumental painting "The Siege of Gibraltar."
Description
On the right a figure grips a rope, and half hidden by them a second person also reaches for the line. Both wear clothing that reads as military. Behind them a battery or piece of artillery comes into view, apparently lashed down with ropes. A grid runs across the sheet, and numbers stand at the right edge, likely marking positions. Physical tension and movement come through clearly.
Context
This drawing was made as preparatory work for Copley's large history painting "The Siege of Gibraltar." That painting deals with the successful defence of the British fortress against Spanish and French besiegers in 1782. Copley, who had lived in London since 1774, was pursuing ambitious goals in history painting. The study belongs to a series of preparatory drawings in which he worked out the many-part composition with its numerous figures and technical details.
Impact
Dynamic lines and the sharply focused rendering of the climbing figures give the sheet something immediate and dramatic. The red and black chalk on blue paper create a depth and liveliness of their own.
Technique
For the study Copley used black and red chalk on blue laid paper — a common pairing for preparatory drawings that allows quick capture of movement and shading. The grid probably served to transfer the arrangement onto the larger painting. The numbers at the edge helped place the figures precisely.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)