Head of a Negro

John Singleton Copley. Head of a Negro. 1777--1778.

Copley completed this study during the same period he painted "Watson and the Shark". The model for this painting and the African American that appears in "Watson and the Shark" may be the same person. The title of the painting when it was sold at auction in 1864, "Head of a Favorite Negro" implies that Copley was familiar with his subject.
Description: Oil on canvas, 21 X 16 and 1/4. Unsigned.
Location: The Detroit Institute of Arts.
Source: Guy McElroy. Facing History: The Black Image in American Artp. 4.