Artists

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  Experiment with the Air-Pump $AU 271.91 ~ 3,724.12
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  The Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone $AU 278.58 ~ 1,198.18
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  Firework Display at the Castel Sant' Angelo in Rome $AU 246.02 ~ 2,585.80

Joseph Wright (1734 Derby-1797 Derby), called Joseph Wright of Derby, learned his trade from 1751-1753 and 1756/57 in the workshop of the London portraitist Thomas Hudson. He later worked in Derbyshire, and from 1768-1770 in Liverpool. Wright traveled through Italy from 1773 to 1775, and, influenced by Caravaggio's paintings, he developed a style of painting rich in contrast between light and shadow. At the center of his paintings is often an effective depiction of candlelight. After a stay in Bath in 1775/76, he returned to Derby. Wright painted mainly portraits, narratives and landscapes. Because of his contact with the leading natural scientists and intellectuals of his day he liked to paint contemporary technological subjects: it is on these works, executed with great artistry, that his far-reaching fame is based. His Works include Peter Perez Burdett and His First Wife Hannah, 1765, Narodni Gallery, Prague; The Smithy, 1771, Art Gallery, Derby; and The Young Corinthian or The Origin of Painting, c. 1782-1785, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.