John Singleton Copley - Paul Revere [1768]

John Singleton Copley - Paul Revere [1768], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Copley's inspired portrait of his friend and colleague abides by the rules of the game for colonial portraiture; it is an accurate, intricate, and apparently truthful likeness, even as it presents an encoded story. Copley (American, 1738–1815) approached each of his sitters as a type and was able to distinguish each one legibly, much like a character in a play or a novel. The obvious clues to Revere's artistic identity are his open-collared shirt, lack of a coat, contemplative hand-to-chin pose, teapot lacking an inscription, and tools of the silversmith's trade. The embedded narrative is associated with the teapot (Revere actually crafted only one in 1768), as his clients had boycotted tea. With a complicit sitter, Copley created a portrait that reaches beyond biography (the usual province of portraiture) and conveys a message that would have been understood and appreciated by those who saw the painting.

[Oil on canvas, 89.2 x 72.4 cm]