Artist of the week
Silk, lace and a sea god
John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley in Boston, from his teens in the 1750s to 1773. Neptune rides the waves with his trident and a golden ball, drawn by grey sea horses while a triton blows a shell. Then the portraits: little John Greenleaf in a red cap with white plumes, hugging a lamb, Elizabeth Greenleaf in white satin with roses, Mrs. Storer in teal silk with a pink rose, her husband in a soft green cap, and Mrs. Winthrop, her hands and a sprig of fruit mirrored in a polished table.
As a puzzle
Start from the faces and the cloth around them, where the colour is: the white plumes and the red cap, the teal silk and its pink rose, the blue satin with its striped bow. The plain dark brown behind the Storers and Mrs. Winthrop is slow, and so is her polished table. The Greenleaf children give you sky, trees and a stone ledge. Neptune is busy from edge to edge and takes a high count; keep the portraits moderate.
A good size here: 40–150 pieces.
Also filed under Early American Painting
6 pictures, pick one to build
