Joseph Wright of Derby Painting Reproductions 1 of 3
1734-1797
English Romanticism Painter
Joseph Wright (September 3, 1734 - August 29, 1797), styled Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter.
He was born in Derby, the son of an attorney, who was afterwards town-clerk. Deciding to become a painter, he went to London in 1751 and for two years studied under Thomas Hudson, the master of Joshua Reynolds. After painting portraits for a while at Derby, he again placed himself for fifteen months under his former master. He then settled in Derby, and varied his work in portraiture by the production of the subjects seen under artificial light with which his name is chiefly associated, and by landscape painting.
He married in 1773, and in the end of that year he visited Italy, where he remained till 1775. While at Naples he witnessed an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which formed the subject of many of his subsequent pictures. On his return from Italy he established himself at Bath as a portrait-painter; but meeting with little encouragement he returned to Derby, where he spent the rest of his life.
He was a frequent contributor to the exhibitions of the Society of Artists, and to those of the Royal Academy, of which he was elected an associate in 1781 and a full member in 1784. He, however, declined the latter honour on account of a slight which he believed that he had received, and severed his official connection with the Academy, though he continued to contribute to the exhibitions from 1783 till 1794.
Wright's portraits are frequently defective in drawing, and without quality or variety of handling, while their flesh tints are often hard. He is seen at his best in his subjects of artificial light, of which the Orrery (1766), the property of the Corporation of Derby (now Derby City Council), and An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768), in the National Gallery, are excellent examples. His Old Man and Death (1774) is also a striking and individual production. An exhibition of Wright's works was brought together at Derby in 1883, and twelve of his pictures were shown in the winter exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1886.
He was born in Derby, the son of an attorney, who was afterwards town-clerk. Deciding to become a painter, he went to London in 1751 and for two years studied under Thomas Hudson, the master of Joshua Reynolds. After painting portraits for a while at Derby, he again placed himself for fifteen months under his former master. He then settled in Derby, and varied his work in portraiture by the production of the subjects seen under artificial light with which his name is chiefly associated, and by landscape painting.
He married in 1773, and in the end of that year he visited Italy, where he remained till 1775. While at Naples he witnessed an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which formed the subject of many of his subsequent pictures. On his return from Italy he established himself at Bath as a portrait-painter; but meeting with little encouragement he returned to Derby, where he spent the rest of his life.
He was a frequent contributor to the exhibitions of the Society of Artists, and to those of the Royal Academy, of which he was elected an associate in 1781 and a full member in 1784. He, however, declined the latter honour on account of a slight which he believed that he had received, and severed his official connection with the Academy, though he continued to contribute to the exhibitions from 1783 till 1794.
Wright's portraits are frequently defective in drawing, and without quality or variety of handling, while their flesh tints are often hard. He is seen at his best in his subjects of artificial light, of which the Orrery (1766), the property of the Corporation of Derby (now Derby City Council), and An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768), in the National Gallery, are excellent examples. His Old Man and Death (1774) is also a striking and individual production. An exhibition of Wright's works was brought together at Derby in 1883, and twelve of his pictures were shown in the winter exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1886.
125 Wright of Derby Paintings
A Philosopher giving that Lecture on the Orrery 1766
Oil Painting
$3698
$3698
Canvas Print
$53.41
$53.41
SKU: WOD-4150
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 147.2 x 203.2 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 147.2 x 203.2 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump 1768
Oil Painting
$4924
$4924
Canvas Print
$56.05
$56.05
SKU: WOD-4151
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 183 x 244 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 183 x 244 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Two Girls Dressing a Kitten by Candlelight c.1768/70
Oil Painting
$1603
$1603
Canvas Print
$57.56
$57.56
SKU: WOD-4152
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 90.8 x 72.4 cm
Kenwood House (The Iveagh Bequest), London, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 90.8 x 72.4 cm
Kenwood House (The Iveagh Bequest), London, United Kingdom
A Girl reading a Letter with an Old Man c.1767/70
Oil Painting
$1727
$1727
SKU: WOD-4153
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 91.5 x 71.2 cm
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 91.5 x 71.2 cm
Private Collection
A Girl reading a Letter by Candlelight with a Young Man c.1760/62
Oil Painting
$1579
$1579
SKU: WOD-4154
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 89 x 69.8 cm
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 89 x 69.8 cm
Private Collection
Portrait of William Brooke 1760
Oil Painting
$2071
$2071
SKU: WOD-4267
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Anne or Molly Cracroft c.1760
Oil Painting
$2238
$2238
SKU: WOD-4268
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Francis Noel Clarke Mundy c.1762/63
Oil Painting
$2130
$2130
SKU: WOD-4269
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Harry Peckham c.1762/63
Oil Painting
$2092
$2092
SKU: WOD-4270
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Nicholas Heath c.1762/63
Oil Painting
$2149
$2149
SKU: WOD-4271
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Edward Becher Leacroft c.1763
Oil Painting
$2130
$2130
Canvas Print
$60.47
$60.47
SKU: WOD-4272
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127.2 x 101.6 cm
Stanford University Museum of Art, California, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127.2 x 101.6 cm
Stanford University Museum of Art, California, USA
Portrait of Mrs Wilmot in Riding Dress c.1762/63
Oil Painting
$2219
$2219
SKU: WOD-4273
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of James and Mary Shuttleworth with one ... c.1764
Oil Painting
$2899
$2899
SKU: WOD-4274
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Simon Wilmot c.1760
Oil Painting
$1322
$1322
SKU: WOD-4275
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Harvey Wilmot c.1760
Oil Painting
$1322
$1322
SKU: WOD-4276
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Mr and Mrs William Chase 1760
Oil Painting
$3087
$3087
SKU: WOD-4277
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Two Boys Fighting over a Bladder c.1767/70
Oil Painting
$1517
$1517
SKU: WOD-4278
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Samuel Rastall c.1762/64
Oil Painting
$1424
$1424
SKU: WOD-4279
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of William Rastall c.1762/64
Oil Painting
$1179
$1179
Canvas Print
$63.52
$63.52
SKU: WOD-4280
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 76.2 x 63.6 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 76.2 x 63.6 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, USA
Three Persons Viewing the Gladiator by Candle Light 1765
Oil Painting
$2071
$2071
Canvas Print
$62.68
$62.68
SKU: WOD-4281
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 101.6 x 122 cm
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 101.6 x 122 cm
Private Collection
An Academy by Lamplight 1769
Oil Painting
$2514
$2514
Canvas Print
$60.33
$60.33
SKU: WOD-4282
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101 cm
Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101 cm
Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut, USA
A Conversation of Girls (Two Girls with their ... 1770
Oil Painting
$1895
$1895
SKU: WOD-4283
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Mrs John Ashton c.1769
Oil Painting
$2303
$2303
SKU: WOD-4284
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Portrait of Mrs Sarah Clayton c.1769
Oil Painting
$2322
$2322
SKU: WOD-4285
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Fitchburg Art Museum, Massachusetts, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Fitchburg Art Museum, Massachusetts, USA
Portrait of John Milnes 1776
Oil Painting
$2428
$2428
Canvas Print
$61.03
$61.03
SKU: WOD-4286
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101 cm
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Portrait of Mrs Andrew Lindington c.1761/62
Oil Painting
$1771
$1771
Canvas Print
$62.68
$62.68
SKU: WOD-4287
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 76.2 x 62.8 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 76.2 x 62.8 cm
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, USA
Portrait of Mr and Mrs Coltman 1771
Oil Painting
$2604
$2604
Canvas Print
$60.61
$60.61
SKU: WOD-4288
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101.6 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101.6 cm
National Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Portrait of Mrs Catherine Swindell c.1769/71
Oil Painting
$1308
$1308
SKU: WOD-4289
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester, United Kingdom
Portrait of Captain Robert Shore Milnes 1772
Oil Painting
$2514
$2514
SKU: WOD-4290
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of John Whetham of Kirklington c.1781/82
Oil Painting
$2049
$2049
SKU: WOD-4291
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Portrait of Cornet Sir George Cooke c.1766/68
Oil Painting
$1637
$1637
SKU: WOD-4292
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, USA
Portrait of a Lady with her Lacework c.1770
Oil Painting
$2238
$2238
Canvas Print
$60.20
$60.20
SKU: WOD-4293
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 126.7 x 101.6 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 126.7 x 101.6 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Portrait of Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym 1766
Oil Painting
$2092
$2092
Canvas Print
$61.17
$61.17
SKU: WOD-4294
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101.4 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 101.4 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA
Portrait of Mrs Robert Gwillym 1766
Oil Painting
$2284
$2284
Canvas Print
$61.03
$61.03
SKU: WOD-4295
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 126.4 x 101 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 126.4 x 101 cm
Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, USA
Portrait of Fleetwood Hesketh 1769
Oil Painting
$2303
$2303
Canvas Print
$60.89
$60.89
SKU: WOD-4296
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 102 cm
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 102 cm
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, United Kingdom
The Old Man and Death 1774
Oil Painting
$2899
$2899
Canvas Print
$50.22
$50.22
SKU: WOD-4297
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 101.6 x 127.2 cm
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 101.6 x 127.2 cm
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, USA
The Alchymist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone 1771
Oil Painting
$2878
$2878
Canvas Print
$58.68
$58.68
SKU: WOD-4298
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 106 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 127 x 106 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Portrait of Perez Burdett and his First Wife Hannah 1765
Oil Painting
$3578
$3578
Canvas Print
$54.66
$54.66
SKU: WOD-4299
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 145 x 205 cm
National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 145 x 205 cm
National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
A Philosopher by Lamp Light 1769
Oil Painting
$2712
$2712
Canvas Print
$60.20
$60.20
SKU: WOD-4300
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 128.2 x 103 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 128.2 x 103 cm
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Miravan Breaking Open the Tomb of his Ancestors 1772
Oil Painting
$2813
$2813
SKU: WOD-4301
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
A Blacksmith's Shop 1771
Oil Painting
$3934
$3934
Canvas Print
$59.64
$59.64
SKU: WOD-4302
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 128.3 x 104.1 cm
Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut, USA
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 128.3 x 104.1 cm
Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut, USA
A Blacksmith's Shop 1771
Oil Painting
$3956
$3956
Canvas Print
$60.61
$60.61
SKU: WOD-4303
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
An Iron Forge 1772
Oil Painting
$3788
$3788
Canvas Print
$69.88
$69.88
SKU: WOD-4304
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 121.3 x 132 cm
Tate Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 121.3 x 132 cm
Tate Gallery, London, United Kingdom
The Iron Forge Viewed from Without 1773
Oil Painting
$3726
$3726
Canvas Print
$56.18
$56.18
SKU: WOD-4305
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 105 x 140 cm
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: 105 x 140 cm
The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
The Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent 1773
Oil Painting
$1873
$1873
SKU: WOD-4306
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, United Kingdom
Maria from Sterne 1777
Oil Painting
$1939
$1939
SKU: WOD-4307
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
The Captive from Sterne 1774
Oil Painting
$1558
$1558
SKU: WOD-4326
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada
John Staveley's Head for the Captive from Sterne c.1775/77
Oil Painting
$1190
$1190
SKU: WOD-4327
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection
Joseph Wright of Derby
Original Size: unknown
Private Collection