Joseph Wright of Derby

Nice. A Tower on a Hill. Verso: The Same Ruined Castle

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment
Artist
Joseph Wright of Derby 1734–1797
Medium
Graphite and watercolour on paper. Verso: graphite on paper
Dimensions
Support: 242 × 348 mm
Collection
Tate
Acquisition
Purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996
Reference
T08253

Display caption

Wright sailed for Rome in November 1773. His trip was possibly inspired by a similar tour undertaken by his teacher, the portraitist Thomas Hudson (1701-79) in 1752. Briefly stopping en-route in Nice in December, Wright made several picturesque sketches of the surrounding countryside. These pre-figure his later Italian landscapes and reveal his refined touch. This drawing, in particular, is rich in minute topographical detail. However, its design recalls Wright''s treatment of a single portrait subject, the castle ruin and the diagonal of the hill-slope anchoring the composition like a seated figure.

Gallery label, August 2004

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