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| The Death of Major Peirson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | John Singleton Copley |
| Year | 1783 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 251 cm × 365 cm (99 in × 144 in) |
| Location | Tate Britain,London |
The Death of Major Peirson, 6 January 1781 is a largeoil painting executed in 1783 by the Anglo-American artistJohn Singleton Copley. It depicts the death of MajorFrancis Peirson at theBattle of Jersey on 6 January 1781, part of theAnglo-French War (1778–1783).
The Battle of Jersey was the last French attempt to seize the island ofJersey, and one of the last battles with invading forces from a foreign nation in the British home islands.[Note 1] The invasion was organized privately by BaronPhilippe de Rullecourt but funded and supplied by the French government, and was intended to remove the threat that British naval vessels andprivateers based in Jersey posed to French shipping (and American ships in theAmerican Revolutionary War).
Approximately 1,000 French soldiers, commanded by de Rullecourt and an Indian,Mir Sayyad, landed at La Rocque,Grouville, overnight on 5–6 January. They occupiedSt Helier early on the morning of 6 January. They captured theLieutenant Governor of Jersey,Moses Corbet, in bed. Although Corbet surrendered, Peirson, the 24-year-old commander of around 2,000 troops of the British garrison, refused to surrender. As Peirson organized a counter-attack, a French shot killed him. Lieutenant Philippe Dumaresq of the Jersey militia took command of the British forces, which comprised detachments of the95th Regiment of Foot,78th Highlanders, andJersey Militia. The British forces quickly overwhelmed the French, most of whom surrendered.
John Boydell, a successful engraver and publisher andAldermen of theCity of London, commissioned Copley to paint a large painting, 251.5 centimetres (99.0 in) by 365.8 centimetres (144.0 in). The scene looks towards the final French resistance inRoyal Square, viewed along what is now Peirson Place, with the French soldiers taking their last stand around the statue ofGeorge II. Further British reinforcements are visible on the hill at the top left. The statue and some of the buildings depicted still stand (some with bullet holes caused by the battle).
Although Peirson was killed in the early stages of the battle, the painting shows Peirson (at the centre of the painting under the largeUnion Flag, supported by other officers) being shot down leading the final charge, giving him a more heroic role and fate. To the left, his black servant Pompey avenges his master by shooting the sniper. It is believed that the depictions of the officers supporting the stricken Peirson are true portraits; the black servant of auctioneerJames Christie was the model for Pompey, although it is unclear whether a black servant played a role (there is no suggestion in contemporaneous sources). Copley modeled the civilians fleeing to the right on his wife, family nurse and children.
Peirson became a national hero, and the painting drew crowds when it was first exhibited at 28Haymarket in May 1784, with admission charged at 1 shilling.
Boydell had ownedThe Death of Major Peirson until his death in 1804; during a 1805 sale of Boydell's collection, Copley reacquired the painting. Subsequently it passed to Copley's sonLord Lyndhurst; from Lord Lyndhurst's collection,The Death of Major Peirson was purchased into theNational Gallery, London, in 1864. In 1954, the painting was transferred to theTate Gallery, where it remains now.[1]
Between 1989 and 2010, a copy appeared on the 10Jersey pound note, and before that on the 1 pound note.
