In Tate Britain
Prints and Drawings Room
View by appointment- Artist
- Attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby 1734–1797
- Medium
- Chalk on paper
- Dimensions
- Support: 456 x 280 mm
- Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996
- Reference
- T08244
Display caption
Previously thought to be a seventeenth-century portrait sketch, this drawing is now attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby. Recent analysis of the paper has shown that it dates from the period c.1747-57, making the earlier identification impossible. It is now believed to be a studio drawing executed by Wright while a student in the London studio of the portrait painter Thomas Hudson. It is probably a copy made after either a print or a painting by the seventeenth-century artist Sir Peter Lely. Copying the work of past masters was a recognised student exercise, and Hudson had a large collection of paintings, drawings and prints for Wright to make use of.
Gallery label, September 2004
Features
Read
The Craze for Pastel: Essay
Ruth Kenny's essay on The Craze for Pastel in conjunction with a 2014 BP Spotlight display at Tate Britain ...
Explore
- people(35,276)
- body(4,798)
- head / face(2,472)
- adults(22,960)
- man(10,595)
- named individuals(12,462)
- portraits(4,343)
- individuals: male(1,888)
- body(4,798)
You might like
Attributed to Jonathan Richardson Unknown Gentleman
c.1730–40
Sir Joshua Reynolds A Man’s Head
c.1771–3
Joseph Highmore Portrait of Frank Merrit
date not known
William Hogarth Death Giving George Taylor a Cross-Buttock
date not known
William Hogarth George Taylor Triumphing over Death
date not known
Giles Hussey Head of a Saint
date not known
Joseph Highmore Head of James Harris of Salisbury
date not known
Thomas Worlidge A Young Man, Head and Shoulders, Half Right
date not known
Joseph Highmore Profile of a Man
date not known
Joseph Highmore Profile of an Old Man
date not known