History painting · 1778
Watson and the Shark
A rescue stalls at the most dangerous instant. Copley made a recent event look as grand and urgent as an ancient epic.
- Made
- 1778
- Style
- History painting
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
From museum to game table
The in-game crop
The card adds paint spaces, rewards and a frame. This crop shows the artwork area used during play, without the card rails.
The short history
What happened here?
The painting tells the true story of Brook Watson, attacked by a shark in Havana Harbor in 1749. Watson survived, lost part of his leg and later became a British merchant and politician.
Watson commissioned Copley to paint the rescue. The artist chose the moment before safety, with a boat hook raised and the shark circling for another attack.
The central Black sailor holds a rope connecting the crew to Watson. His prominent role has prompted close study of the picture's links to Havana, maritime trade and the history of slavery.
Look closer
Three details worth finding
- 1A triangle formed by Watson and the rescuers
- 2The rope linking the figures
- 3The uncertain anatomy of a shark Copley had never seen
Sources
Read further
Museum records come first. Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons provide useful public background and image records.