In 1783 the City of London decided to commission an
historical painting of a famous victory which the British forces
had won at Gibraltar a few months earlier. The artist chosen was
the American-born John Singleton Copley. His picture, The
Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782
(also called The Siege of Gibraltar ), is one of Britain’s
largest oil paintings.
The painting was originally hung in the Common Council Chamber
at Guildhall before being transferred to the original Guildhall Art
Gallery in 1886. It was taken down, rolled up and taken out of
London to be stored in safety at the height of the Blitz in April
1941 - only three weeks before the Gallery was destroyed. No wall
large enough to display it could be found until the Gallery was
finally rebuilt. For more information about the Copley painting and
its restoration, visit the
COLLAGE website.
Defeat of the Floating Batteries at
Gibraltar, September 1782
By John Singleton Copley
Oil on canvas
1783-1791
214 inches by 297 inches