Study for "The Surrender of the Dutch Admiral De Winter to Admiral Duncan, October 11, 1797": Two Studies of a Man with a Sail or Flag 1798

John Singleton Copley made this pencil drawing, "Study for 'The Surrender of the Dutch Admiral De Winter to Admiral Duncan, October 11, 1797': Two Studies of a Man with a Sail or Flag," sometime around 1797, as he prepared for a large-scale history painting. It shows two studies of a figure, likely a Dutch sailor, carrying a sail or flag, perhaps in surrender. Copley was an American artist who achieved success in London. He focused on historical and patriotic subjects, catering to British national sentiment. Large paintings of battles were very popular as public displays of British power and naval strength. To understand it better, we would need to look into the naval battle itself, the relationship between Britain and the Netherlands at the time, and how naval power was being used to establish and maintain social and economic relations. The history of art can help us investigate those relationships.