Study for "Charles I Demanding Impeachment of Five Members of The House of Commons" c. 1785

Curator: This is John Singleton Copley's study for "Charles I Demanding Impeachment of Five Members of The House of Commons." It is currently housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s a charged scene, isn’t it? All those figures, the dramatic light, and that single, dark figure cowering before the king. Curator: Indeed, Copley captures a pivotal moment in British history. This study, though incomplete, highlights the escalating tensions between Charles I and Parliament, ultimately leading to the English Civil War. Editor: The window seems almost like a looming judgment. The whole composition is imbued with symbols of power and the fragility of authority. Curator: Absolutely, it's a visual representation of a power struggle and the symbolic weight of the monarchy against the emerging power of Parliament. Editor: Looking at this, one can feel the echoes of that conflict, the lasting resonance of those events in our own understanding of governance. Curator: Copley’s work continues to provoke questions about authority and representation, about the role of images in shaping collective memory.