1800 John Singleton Copley Large Antique Print Death of Major Pierson, Jersey

Cartographer :John Singleton Copley

  • Title : Death of Major Pierson - The Defeat of the French Troops in the Market Place....Of Saint Heliers in the Island of Jersey Jan 6th 17(81)...Painted by John Singleton Copley....Engraved by A Kessler
  • Size: 24in x 18 1/2in (610mm x 480mm)
  • Condition: (B) Good Condition
  • Date : 1800
  • Ref #:  92668

Description:
This large original copper plate engraved antique print of the Death of Major Pierson in the battle of Jersey in 1781, by John Singleton Copley in 1783, was engraved by Albert Kessler in 1800.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: -
Colors used: -
General color appearance: -
Paper size: - 24in x 18 1/2in (610mm x 480mm)
Plate size: - 24in x 18 1/2in (610mm x 480mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - L, R & top margins restored using contemporary paper on verso
Plate area: - Two repairs to top of image
Verso: - Repairs as noted

Background: 
This painting celebrates the British defence of Jersey against French invasion in 1781 and also pays tribute to a young Major, Francis Peirson, who lost his life in the process. Originally a part of France, the island of Jersey had been in the possession of the English since 1066. On the night of 5-6 January 1781 a small army of French soldiers landed on the island and marched on the capital, St Helier. They captured the Governor, Moses Corbet, and forced him to sign a document of surrender. However, the British garrison and the Jersey militia launched a counter-attack, led by Major Peirson, during the course of which Peirson was killed by a French sniper. Almost immediately, Peirsons black servant, Pompey, turned on the sniper and shot him dead. A battle ensued in Royal Square and the French were defeated.
At a time when defeat in the American colonies was imminent, news of the British victory in Jersey was greeted with alacrity in England. John Boydell, a successful engraver and printseller, immediately commissioned this picture from Copley, who had already made his reputation with The Collapse of the Earl of Chatham in the House of Lords (1779-81)
The theme of the modern noble hero expiring at the scene of battle was established by Benjamin West (1738-1820), who, like Copley, was American by birth. Copley increased the drama of the event by making the moment of Peirsons death coincide with the British victory over the French, rather than earlier in the battle. The picture is full of movement and colour, but is also carefully orchestrated. Peirsons body in the centre of the picture offers a splash of white against the red of the soldiers jackets, and appears to topple forward out of the painting. The group of men who support him, like figures in a Deposition, are crowned by the Union Jack, a symbol of Britains victory. To their left, the black servant, Pompey, has just shot the French sniper in the background. To the right of the picture, a terrified family (modelled on Copleys own wife, family nurse and children), attempt to flee from the scene. Many of the officers in the painting are said to be accurate portraits and Pompey was modelled by the black servant of the auctioneer James Christie. The setting for the picture is also carefully depicted, looking towards Royal Square along what is now Peirson Place, with the statue of George II in the background.
When the picture was first exhibited publicly in May 1784, crowds of people came to see it and, according to one critic, the chorus of praise reached all the way to Buckingham Palace.

Copley, John Singleton 1738 - 1815
Singleton was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. He is famous for his portrait paintings of wealthy and influential figures in colonial New England, depicting in particular middle-class subjects. His portraits were innovative in their tendency to depict artifacts relating to these individuals lives.

$275.00