Two rarely before seen Joseph Wright paintings unveiled at Derby Museum and Art Gallery
On long-term loan, they join the largest collection of works by world renowned artist.
Two rarely before seen ‘candlelight’ paintings by world-famous artist Joseph Wright have been unveiled at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Wright, who was born and raised in Derby, is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most compelling 18th century painters and is known the world-over for his ‘works depicting different effects of natural and artificial light.’
Now, two paintings 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 and will be available for local, national, and international followers of Wright’s work to admire from Tuesday 22 August 2023. As part of a private UK collection, these two 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, by Joseph Wright, c.1767 – 1770, oil on canvas. Private Collection, UK (L) and Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder, by Joseph Wright, c.1767 – 1770, oil on canvas. Private collection, UK (R). Images (c) Oliver Taylor Photography.
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.
Derby Museum and Art Gallery is home to the largest collection of Wright’s work in the world, and these two new loans are the latest additions as part of Derby Museums’ ongoing ambition to enhance its collection and expand understanding of the artist’s life and work. Over the past decade the museum’s dedicated team has secured many exceptional pieces by Wright, including the most recent acquisition Self-Portrait at the Age of About Forty, featuring an oil sketch for Wright’s candlelight masterpiece An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump (1768), which was unveiled in May 2022. It is a significant achievement for a regional museum to hold such a national and internationally important resource with this growing world-renowned collection.
Lucy Bamford, Curator at Derby Museum and Art Gallery explains: “These two works enable us to introduce an element of Wright’s work that is otherwise not well represented within Derby Museums’ existing gallery displays. At the same time, it’s revealing to see them within the context of Wright’s other candlelight paintings, such as his famous ‘Orrery’. Together, they give us our clearest glimpse yet of some of Wright’s sources of inspiration: in this case Netherlandish paintings of the 17th century.
“With the exception of just one painting, at Kenwood House in London, all other examples of Wright’s candlelight fancy pictures are either in private ownership or are found in museums in the USA. The addition of these two works hugely enriches our offering to visitors, making world renowned art accessible to everyone, which is something Derby Museums continually strives to achieve.”
Both paintings are part of a private UK collection and have been loaned to Derby Museums, via independent art agents Omnia Art Ltd who also supported Derby Museums with its recent acquisition of the Joseph Wright self-portrait. The interpretation will focus on what both paintings tell visitors about Wright’s sources of influence at the time of painting and will seek to explore what made these subjects so popular.
Tony Butler, Executive Director at Derby Museum and Art Gallery says: “We are thrilled to now be the guardians of these two candlelight paintings by Wright and are very grateful to their owner for loaning them to us. To our knowledge both have only been seen publicly just four times at temporary exhibitions held in 1910, 1958, 1990 and 2016, meaning most visitors – and indeed most of the UK – will have never seen these paintings before. Regional Museums play a major role of shaping a sense of pride in their towns, cities and communities. Many also hold collections of national significance and Derby is no exception. In this way, civic museums are integral to a thriving cultural life in the UK. This is another very proud moment for Derby Museums.
“But it doesn’t stop here. Over the next year we plan to launch a new online catalogue of Wright’s work to make it even more widely available. In 2024 we will be drawing from nearly 400 of his works on paper from our collections to explore his life and work through his drawings. The exhibition will be held in Derby and then available to tour more widely.”
Hannah Armstrong, a director of Omnia Art said: “Omnia Art is delighted to have secured the long-term loan of these two wonderful paintings. Having negotiated the museum’s acquisition of Joseph Wright’s Self Portrait in 2022, we are so pleased to continue our relationship with the curatorial team at Derby Museums and to further enhance the visitor experience with these two loans.”
Main image: Curators Lucy Bamford (L) and Matt Edwards (R) hang ‘A Girl Reading a Letter with an Old Man Reading over her Shoulder’ and ‘Two Boys Fighting Over a Bladder’ by Joseph Wright at Derby Museum and Art Gallery. (c) Oliver Taylor Photography
