Study for "The Ascension"

John Singleton Copley created this study for "The Ascension" in 1774. Executed on off-white laid paper, the work utilizes a combination of bistre washes, pen and ink, black chalk, graphite, and watercolor to depict religious figures including an angel and apostles. The drawing is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under the American Wing.

The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, specifically within the institution's American Wing. It carries the accession number 60.44.16. The provided sources confirm the museum's ownership and the specific inventory identifier assigned to this 1774 study, but they do not contain records of any public exhibitions in which the piece has been displayed.

The drawing Study for "The Ascension" (1774) by John Singleton Copley exemplifies his early experimentation with religious themes in the American context, blending European compositional traditions with emerging colonial sensibilities. Executed in bistre washes, pen, ink, black chalk, and graphite on laid paper, the study anticipates the grandeur of his later altarpieces while reflecting Enlightenment-era theological discourse. Its depiction of celestial figures aligns with 18th-century American Anglican iconography, positioning Copley at the intersection of transatlantic artistic exchange and nascent national identity.

Scholarship emphasizes its role as a pivotal preparatory work that bridges colonial portraiture and historical painting, underscoring Copley's significance as a foundational figure in American art history.

John Singleton Copley’s 1774 preparatory drawing, titled Study for “The Ascension,” is executed on off‑white laid paper. The composition combines ink washes, pen and ink, black chalk, graphite and touches of watercolor to render a biblical tableau of an angelic figure interacting with a human participant, likely an apostle. The work functions as a study for a larger, unfinished history painting.