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View of ‘Self-Portrait at the age of about forty’ by Joseph Wright of Derby in the Joseph Wright Gallery at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Image (c) Oliver Taylor-Derby Museums (1)
Collection

Joseph Wright of Derby

Born in Derby in 1734, Wright is an internationally renowned artist, whose paintings and works on paper adorn the walls of major galleries the world over. Derby Museums is home to the world’s largest collection of his work.

Derby Museums is home to the world’s largest collection of works by Joseph Wright of Derby but his art also graces the walls of some of the most famous galleries, including The Hermitage in St Petersburg, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Britain, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.

Collection Highlights
The Orrery

A Philosopher Giving that Lecture on an Orrery, in which a Lamp is put in the Place of the Sun

When Joseph Wright first exhibited this painting in 1766, it inspired high praise and even poetry. It remains one of his most famous paintings. At its centre, a red gowned philosopher presents a lecture on astronomy using a clockwork model of the solar system called an ‘Orrery’. When it was painted, scientific lectures and demonstrations were popular forms of public entertainment. In Derby, where there was great interest in science and technology, such lectures were held regularly at the Town Hall. These events, combined with Wright’s friendship with some of Derby’s leading scientific minds, may have inspired him to paint this picture. His choice of subject was unprecedented at the time and his dramatic use of light captured the public imagination.
The Alchemist

The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, discovers Phosphorus, and prays for the successful conclusion of his operation, as was the custom of the ancient chymical astrologers

The German alchemist Hennig Brandt discovered phosphorus during an experiment with fermented urine in 1669. Like other alchemists, Brandt had been trying to make the Philosophers’ Stone; a magical substance that could turn base metals into gold. This painting appears to have been based on a description of the making of phosphorus in a book about chemistry by Pierre-Joseph Macquer, which was shared with Joseph Wright by the Liverpool chemist, Matthew Turner. Wright’s scene focusses on the first signs of phosphorus which appears as a jet of blue light from a hole in the flask. The alchemist and his assistants stare on in amazement. Phosphorus is a natural resource that is essential to life. As a fertiliser, it plays an important role in meeting the food needs of our world’s growing population. Most phosphorus comes from the mining of phosphate rock, which in the 1700s occurred with little thought for the future. We now face the challenge of living within the world’s limited natural resources.
The Widow of an Indian Chief watching the Arms of her Deceased Husband Joseph Wright, oil on canvas, exhibited 1785. Credit, Derby Museums Trust.

The Widow of an Indian Chief watching the Arms of her Deceased Husband

Joseph Wright completed this painting shortly after the War of Independence between Britain and its North American colonies. It was included in his solo exhibition of 1785. Wright’s painting reflected the widespread British curiosity in other cultures of the time. It was a period of aggressive European expansion abroad and goods from around the world flowed into Britain. Wright never travelled to America but took inspiration from ‘A History of the American Indians’ by James Adair, 1775. Adair lived and traded among the indigenous peoples of the Southwestern Woodlands for 40 years and described their way of life in detail. His writing reflects his position as a white observer unable to fully understand those he describes. He compared their clothing to classical robes in an attempt to explain it for his British readers: ‘Indian men and women…wrap a piece of cloth round them, that has a near resemblance to the…Roman toga.’ Wright may also have taken inspiration from North American objects in the private collections of local, wealthy men of status.
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Landscape with a Rainbow

“I am trying my hand at a rainbow effect”, Joseph Wright announced to his friend and patron John Leigh Philips in 1793. Completed just two years before he died, the rainbow was a new subject for Wright that provided a fresh means by which to explore his lifelong interest in painting light effects. The location of the view is unknown and may be imaginary, inspired by the rainbow paintings of earlier northern European artists like Peter Paul Rubens. However, its attention to natural and meteorological detail suggests that Wright had also studied a rainbow at first hand. The appearance of a paler sky within the arc of the rainbow for instance, was only scientifically recognised later in the 1800s.
A Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Moonlight

A Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Moonlight

Seventeen years after his trip to Italy between 1774 and 1775, Joseph Wright continued to draw upon the scenes he witnessed on that journey. This painting is based upon studies he made in Naples in 1774. The mouth of the cavern provides a frame for the landscape, and a dramatic point of contrast for the glittering moonlit sea beyond.
Self-portrait aged 20

Self Portrait in Van Dyck Costume

This early self-portrait was painted when Joseph Wright was about 20 years old. It was probably produced in Derby during a break from his training with the popular London-based portraitist, Thomas Hudson. Wright deliberately echoes the work of artist, Sir Anthony van Dyck, who rose to great fame in the early 1600s.
Self-portrait at the age of about forty, by Joseph Wright, oil on canvas.jpg

Self-Portrait at the Age of About Forty

‘Self-Portrait at the Age of About Forty’, and on the reverse a study for Wright’s famous painting ‘An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump’ has been added to our existing Joseph Wright collection and is on permanent public display where it can be enjoyed by local, national and international followers of Wright’s work. The self-portrait captures a sense of the self-confidence and recognition of Wright’s growing reputation for his so-called ‘candlelight paintings.’ It is also the only one of Wright’s ten self-portraits in which he specifically depicts himself as an artist, and it is packed with references to his specialism as a master painter of light effects. © Image Omnia Art Ltd.
JW

A Girl Reading a Letter with an Old Man Reading over her Shoulder and Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder.

A Girl Reading a Letter with an Old Man Reading over her Shoulder and Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder, are on long-term loan to Derby Museum and Art Gallery from a private UK collection, these paintings have only been seen fleetingly on four previous occasions and will now be accessible to a wider audience as part of this long-term loan agreement. A Girl Reading a Letter with an Old Man Reading over her Shoulder and Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder are captivating examples of what were known in the 18th century as ‘fancies’. Often depicting children, or young adults, and treated with Wright’s trademark approach to painting light, these subjects proved popular throughout his career. Referencing childhood innocence, love and the transience of life, Derby Museums hopes these paintings will have a universal appeal whilst capturing the attention of scholars and Wright specialists who may have never seen these works before. Fighting Over a Bladder.
About the collection

Born in Derby in 1734, Wright is an internationally renowned artist, whose paintings and works on paper adorn the walls of major galleries the world over. Famed as a “painter of light” and for his association with key members of the intellectual movement known as the Enlightenment, he is now considered to be one of Britain’s most interesting and wide-ranging painters.

The story of Wright’s life and art is told in the Joseph Wright Gallery, where a large selection of his paintings are on permanent display. The Joseph Wright Study Room is home to the museums’ remarkable collection of Wright’s drawings, as well as prints, letters and other archive materials related to the artist. At Pickford’s House, a further selection of his paintings can be seen as part of the domestic interior style of his times.

In 2018-19, our Young Co-producers Network explored the Joseph Wright collection and developed ideas to enhance the interpretation in the gallery. The gallery has new, accessible labels in hand-held guides, a story map visual on the floor takes visitors on a journey through Wright’s life and work and a new introductory panel helps visitors get to know the artist. This work has been supported by the Royal Academy of Arts and we thank all the young people involved for their ideas and commitment to the project.

What can I see?

Wright’s masterpiece, the ‘Orrery’, can be seen in the Joseph Wright Gallery alongside less well-known but equally spectacular paintings. Our knowledgeable gallery assistants are on hand to help you answer any questions you might have.

What can I do?

Follow the story of Wright’s life and art through the trail in the Joseph Wright Gallery. Delve deeper in the Joseph Wright Study Room and discover more about his working methods, his friends, family, and legacy.

What can I learn?

In the Joseph Wright Gallery you can learn more about Wright, his life, and world. Discover what it is about Wright’s work that continues to draw people to Derby from all over the world.

The relevance of Wright’s art has not diminished over time and continues to attract new audiences. Derby Museums is home to the world’s largest collection of Wright’s work but his art also graces the walls of some of the most famous galleries, including The Hermitage in St Petersburg, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Britain, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.

In addition to our Joseph Wright Collection we have a wider collection of fine art. You can take a look at all of our fine art collection, including the Joseph Wright collection, on Art UK

 

Joseph Wright Study Room 1

Visit the Joseph Wright Study Room

To see our remarkable collection of Wright’s drawings, as well as prints, letters and other archive materials related to the artist.
Alter Ego

Derby Museums’ Fine Art Collection

Take a look at our wider collection of Fine Art, some are available to buy as prints.
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Watercolour World

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