Only a few painters became famous as young people thanks to their talent. John Singleton Copley, who grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, as the son of Anglo-Irish colonists, is certainly a prime example of this. He painted a portrait of his brother at the age of 14. He earned his first money at the age of fifteen with a portrait of a local clergyman, and at sixteen he painted his early work "Mars, Venus and Vulcan", which is still famous today. Copley not only fed the family through his art, he also quickly rose to the upper circles of Boston.
During this period of the Seven Years' War for possession of Canada, "America" was considered a rough corner and an eternal source of unrest. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Copley's paintings also caused a sensation in Great Britain from 1766 onwards, especially the portrait "Boy with Squirrel". Critics compared it with Rubens or van Dyck, and recommended an engagement in Europe.
While Boston, in particular, gradually developed into a stronghold of colonial discontent, Copley was emphatically apolitical; his wife's family were all "loyalists" - his father-in-law, Mr. Clarke, was one of the aggrieved importers at the famous "Boston Tea Party". Copley left Massachusetts in 1774, the year the war broke out, and was never to return.
In London Copley began a second career as a history painter. Historical pieces were in great demand in the nationally conscious, up-and-coming island empire of the time. He made his debut with the "Death of the Earl of Chatham" and painted sea pieces such as the surrender of Admiral de Winter, but also religious themes such as "Hagar and Ismael in the Desert".
But Copley did not deny his American roots either. After the independence of the United States, he was the first to dare to paint a ship with the U.S. flag - "Watson and the Shark", a salvation from extreme hardship, became a success on both sides of the Atlantic. Copley painted portraits of many famous Americans during their stays in London, including the later US Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. However, planned visits to the old homeland never came about. The Napoleonic Wars consumed his fortune.
John Singleton Copley is now highly regarded on both sides of the Atlantic. His son John Singleton Copley jr., a brilliant lawyer and jurist, later even became British Lord Chancellor.
×
Passionate Customer Service
.jpg "The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-14691).jpg "Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (Sarah Morris) by John Singleton Copley")
 - (MeisterDrucke-14691).jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-542773).jpg "Portrait of Woodbury Langdon (1739-1805) by John Singleton Copley")
 - (MeisterDrucke-542773).jpg)
.jpg "General George Augustus Eliott on a Grey Charger, study for")
.jpg)
.jpg "Captain W. Fairfax, figure study for the painting of Victory of Lord Duncan by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_served_under_Horatio_Nelson_(17_-_(MeisterDrucke-1499003).jpg "Portrait of Captain Sir Edward Berry, served under Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Aboukir and the Battle of Trafalgar by John Singleton Copley")
_served_under_Horatio_Nelson_(17_-_(MeisterDrucke-1499003).jpg)
.jpg "The Death of Major Peirson at St. Helier, Retaking Jersey from the French, 8 January 1781, from")
.jpg)
.jpg "Samuel and Eli, engraved by S. Allen, from")
.jpg)
_c1765-70_(see_183417_for_pair)_-_(MeisterDrucke-575615).jpg "John Bours by John Singleton Copley")
_c1765-70_(see_183417_for_pair)_-_(MeisterDrucke-575615).jpg)
_Demanding_the_Five_Members_in_the_House_of_Commons_in_1642_-_(MeisterDrucke-290510).jpg "Charles I Demanding the Five Members in the House of Commons in 1642 by John Singleton Copley")
_Demanding_the_Five_Members_in_the_House_of_Commons_in_1642_-_(MeisterDrucke-290510).jpg)
.jpg "George John Spencer, 1st Lord of the Admiralty in Garter Robes by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_from_National_-_(MeisterDrucke-107801).jpg "George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer by John Singleton Copley")
_from_National_-_(MeisterDrucke-107801).jpg)
.jpg "Mrs. Jerathmael Bowers, ca. 1763 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Mrs. Alexander Cumming, née Elizabeth Goldthwaite, later Mrs. John Bacon by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_first_Earl_of_Howe_commander_of_the_-_(MeisterDrucke-1510202).jpg "Portrait of Admiral Richard Howe, first Earl of Howe, commander of the Channel Fleet in 1794, he participated in the French Revolutionary Wars, off the coast of Ouessant by John Singleton Copley")
_first_Earl_of_Howe_commander_of_the_-_(MeisterDrucke-1510202).jpg)
.jpg "A Hussar Officer on Horseback by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Death of Chatham by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Death of Major Pierson, 6 January 1781 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Colonel William Fitch and His Sisters Sarah and Ann Fitch by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Western Brothers, 1783 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_attempting_to_arrest_five_Members_of_Parliament_published_by_-_(MeisterDrucke-561965).jpg "Charles I (1600-49) attempting to arrest five Members of Parliament, published by Walter Rowlands, 1888 by John Singleton Copley")
_attempting_to_arrest_five_Members_of_Parliament_published_by_-_(MeisterDrucke-561965).jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of William II, King of the Netherlands, when Prince of Orange by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1299209).jpg "Portrait of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield (1705-1793) by John Singleton Copley")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1299209).jpg)
.jpg "Study for \"The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar\" by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Abigael Bromfield Rogers by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Copley Family by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Daniel Hubbard by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, 1782 c1783 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
 - (MeisterDrucke-654254).jpg "Abigail Smith Babcock (Mrs. Adam Babcock) by John Singleton Copley")
 - (MeisterDrucke-654254).jpg)
.jpg "John Singleton Copley Self-Portrait by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-597939).jpg "Rescue Group by John Singleton Copley")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-597939).jpg)
.jpg "Samuel telling his Vision to Eli, 1 Samuel by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Mrs. Sylvester Gardiner, née Abigail Pickman, formerly Mrs. William Eppes by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Mr. Joshua Henshaw II by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-908837).jpg "Figures Clinging to Wreckage by John Singleton Copley")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-908837).jpg)
.jpg "The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar, 14th September 1782 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Study for The Ascension by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Mrs Clark Gayton by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Nathaniel Hurd by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Robert Hooper by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Death of Major Pierson by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Richard Heber, 1782 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Daniel Hubbard, 1764 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Sketch for The Copley Family by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Admiral Richard, Earl of Howe, 1794 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Anna Dummer Powell by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Sketch of the Knatchbull Family at Mersham-le-Hatch, Kent, 1800-03 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1283351).jpg "Mrs. Daniel Hubbard (Mary Greene) by John Singleton Copley")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1283351).jpg)
.jpg "Study for the Central Group in the Death of Earl of Chatham by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Sketch for The Copley Family by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Thomas William Vawdrey by Henry Wolf")
.jpg)
.jpg "Joseph Warren by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_(17171778)_c1770_-_(MeisterDrucke-377234).jpg "Mrs. James Russell (Katherine Graves) by John Singleton Copley")
_(17171778)_c1770_-_(MeisterDrucke-377234).jpg)
.jpg "George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Anne Fairchild Bowler Mrs. Metcalf Bowler, c. 1763 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Most Noble Charles Marquis Cornwallis, Master General of the Ordnance, Lieutenant General, General Governor of Ireland, circa 1798 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Stillwell Family, 1786 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_1763_-_(MeisterDrucke-573970).jpg "Portrait of Mrs Gawen Brown (Elizabeth Byles), 1763 by John Singleton Copley")
_1763_-_(MeisterDrucke-573970).jpg)
.jpg "Robert Hyde, Squire of Hyde by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Death of the Earl of Chatham by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "John, 2nd Viscount Dudley and Ward by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "The Rev. Mr. William Welsteed of Boston, New England, c.1753 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Study for the Central Group in the")
.jpg)
.jpg "Henry Laurens by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Robert Hooper by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Henry Hill by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Robert Hooper by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Mrs. Alexander Cumming, née Elizabeth Goldthwaite, later Mrs. John Bacon by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_Sophia_(1777-1848)_and_Am_-_(MeisterDrucke-261601).jpg "Their Royal Highnesses the Princesses Mary (1776-1857), Sophia (1777-1848) and Amelia (1783-1810), engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi, pub. by the artist, 1792 by John Singleton Copley")
_Sophia_(1777-1848)_and_Am_-_(MeisterDrucke-261601).jpg)
.jpg "John Greenleaf, c.1755-58 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of William II, King of the Netherlands by Charles Turner")
.jpg)
.jpg "Figure Study for the Painting of the Victory of Lord Duncan: Study for Sailor Bearing the Dutch Flag by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1345812).jpg "The Death of Major Pierson (1757-1781) by John Singleton Copley")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1345812).jpg)
.jpg "Lydia Henchman Hancock by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Study for")
.jpg)
 after a drawing of the original by James Barton Longacre (1794-1869) - (MeisterDrucke-198025).jpg "Samuel Adams, engraved by G.F. Storm after a drawing of the original by James Barton Longacre by John Singleton Copley")
 after a drawing of the original by James Barton Longacre (1794-1869) - (MeisterDrucke-198025).jpg)
.jpg "Benjamin Pickman by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Study for")
.jpg)
.jpg "Study for")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1553731).jpg "Mrs. Daniel Denison Rogers (Abigail Bromfield) by John Singleton Copley")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-1553731).jpg)
.jpg "Mrs. Alexander Cumming, née Elizabeth Goldthwaite, later Mrs. John Bacon by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Baron Graham by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Study of Sailors Raising a Flag for the Victory of Lord Duncan by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "John Adams, from")
.jpg)
.jpg "Portrait of a Lady by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Death of Major Pierson and Defeat of the French Troops in the Island of Jersey on 6th of January 1781 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Lydia Henchman Hancock by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Drapery Study; Two Figures Pulling a Pole by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Epes Sargent by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Charles Pelham by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Earl of Mansfield by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Two American Officers by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
.jpg "Andrew Oliver, c. 1758 by John Singleton Copley")
.jpg)
_-_(MeisterDrucke-993156).jpg "Officers Cheering by John Singleton Copley")
_-_(MeisterDrucke-993156).jpg)
+43 4257 29415
support@meisterdrucke.com
Mo-Do: 7:00 - 16:00 | Fr: 7:00 - 13:00
