Portrait of a Woman (Wright of Derby)

Portrait of a Woman (Wright of Derby)

Portrait of a Woman

Artist:Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby) (British, Derby 1734–1797 Derby)
Date:ca. 1770
Medium:Oil on canvas
Dimensions:49 7/8 x 40 in. (126.7 x 101.6 cm)
Classification:Paintings
Credit Line:Gift of Heathcote Art Foundation, 1986

Joseph Wright of Derby was the first major British painter to work almost entirely outside London. Most of his patrons were merchants or industrialists from the Midlands or members of the local gentry. This portrait of an unknown lady was probably painted about 1770, the high point of Wright's early career as a portraitist, and is a fine example of the direct, descriptive style he employed—far removed from the artificial conventions favored in London society.

Provenance
Josephine Mercy Heathcote Haskell, New York (until d. 1982); Heathcote Art Foundation (1982–86)

Copyright Image
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