Thomas Aston Coffin 1758

John Singleton Copley made this painting of Thomas Aston Coffin with oil on canvas. Look closely at the boy’s satin garment: the sheen of the fabric, and the whiteness of the lace, were achieved through laborious processes. The layering of glazes – thin, translucent coats of paint – demanded technical facility, and a great deal of time. Copley was one of the best at this. It’s all too easy to see this as “just” a portrait, overlooking the fact that he was a working artist, and therefore a maker. And consider the social context. This image declares that the Coffin family had the resources to purchase luxury goods like fine textiles, and the status to commission a full-length likeness of their child. Copley was skilled at capturing the nuances of class, in the tilt of a head, the gleam of a textile, or the rendering of feathers. So, next time you look at a painting, think not just of the image, but of the materials, processes, and social context that went into its creation. This approach can break down distinctions between ‘high art’ and other forms of skilled making.