A LATE GEORGE III TÔLE PEINTE TRAY

A LATE GEORGE III TÔLE PEINTE TRAY

C.1800

of oval form, painted with a scene after John Singleton Copley titled 'Watson and the Shark', inside a gilt painted gallery

54.5 x 71cm

Catalogue Note

The scene shows Brook Watson (1735-1807), then aged 14, being attacked by a shark while he was taking a cooling swim in Havana Harbour. As a result, he lost part of his right leg but, none the less, went on to have a successful business career enabling him to commission John Singleton Copley (American, 1738-1815) to create the original painting which is currently held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, accession number 1963.6.1. The prominent position of the Afro-Caribbean man and his expression of concern were both considered exceptional for the time.