Portrait of John Montresor

Portrait of John Montresor
Artist	John Singleton Copley
Year	1771
Type	Oil on canvas, portrait painting
Dimensions	76.2 cm× 63.5 cm(30.0 in× 25.0 in)
Location	Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan

Portrait of John Montresor is a 1771 portrait painting by the American artist John Singleton Copley. It depicts the British soldier John Montresor. ^[1] The Gibraltar-born Montresor was a member of the Royal Engineers, serving as part of the British Army garrison in America. He was also a noted cartographer. He is shown holding a book Field Engineer in a nod to his profession. ^[2]

It was one around forty works Copley produced during his stay in New York City.The artist relocated to London a few years later where he became known for his large history paintings such as Watson and the Shark and The Death of Major Pierson . The painting has been in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts since 1941. ^[3]

References

1. Robinson p.279
2. Barratt p.300
3. https://dia.org/collection/john-montresor-41296

Bibliography

• Barratt, Carrie Rebora . John Singleton Copley in America. John Singleton Copley in America. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995.
• Kamensky, Jane. A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley. W. W. Norton & Company, 2016.
• Robinson, D.H. The Idea of Europe and the Origins of the American Revolution. Oxford University Press, 2020.