Watson and the Shark

Watson and the Shark

Artist: John Singleton Copley (American, 1738–1815)

Original Dimensions: 24 7/8" x 30 1/8"

Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

About Artwork: (ca. 1778) "Copley painted this rapid study for "Watson and the Shark" from his first rendering of the iconic work—now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington—in preparation for successive versions, found in the collections of the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It depicts the future Lord Mayor of London, Brook Watson, who, as a teenager, lost his leg to a shark while swimming in Havana harbor in 1749. A Black sailor forms the apex of the composition, holding a rope for the victim who later famously defended the slave trade in the West Indies. Copley’s dramatic depiction of an ordinary man in the midst of an extraordinary event of unresolved peril in the Atlantic World revolutionized British-American history painting." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

Step 1: Choose Your Painting Size (all sizes preserve artwork proportions)
Step 2: Choose Your Framing Option (comes ready to hang and includes canvas stretching, protective varnish, custom frame, finished back, and hanging hardware)
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View frame options at the bottom of this page and select your frame group in Step 2. You can specify the exact frame style once your painting is completed and approved.
Estimated painting completion:  4-6 weeks after you place your order.
$727.00
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From artist to collector, one of a hundred.

Alexis Trembley

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Answers to common questions about our limited editions.

Each artwork is printed on demand in a maximum print total of 100 numbered prints. Once the edition is sold out, it will never be reprinted.

Yes. Every print is hand-numbered to mark its place in the edition. Some artists also include a signature, depending on their process.

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