1773
oil
canvas
From the collection of Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Dominant colour
Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent is a 1773 oil by Joseph Wright of Derby, a Rococo painting work, held at Derby Museum and Art Gallery.
This painting is called Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent. It's an oil paint work by Joseph Wright of Derby. The scene shows a man digging at nighttime beside the River Derwent in Derbyshire. This nighttime setting is an interesting aspect of the painting, as it suggests a specific mood or atmosphere. To learn more about the techniques used in this painting, look up the technique of glazing.
Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent is a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby originally completed in 1773. The scene shows a man digging at nighttime beside the River Derwent in Derbyshire.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The painting shows a man blocking foxholes so that a subsequent foxhunt could kill the fox without the animal having the opportunity to hide underground. This man was known as an Earthstopper. Joseph Wright was known for his studies under unusual lighting and this can be seen here combined with landscape. Wright completed few notable paintings that included landscapes before he went on his tour of Italy where he created a large number including those that showed the eruption of Vesuvias. Benedict Nicolson, who was an authority on Joseph Wright believed this painting inspired lines of poetry…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The painting was exhibited in 1773. It was bought by Philip Yorke who became a fellow of the Royal Society and was the 2nd Earl of Hardwicke. The painting remained in the Earl's family until it was sold by the fifth Earl who was nicknamed "Champagne Charlie". Coincidentally Charles Yorke (the 5th Earl) was known for his spendthrift ways and Disraeli appointed him, at the request of the Prince of Wales, to the title of Master of the Buckhounds where he was his majesty's representative at Ascot. The painting was eventually bought by Benedict Nicolson (Wright's biographer) who sold it via the…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Joseph Wright (3 September 1734 – 29 August 1797), styled Joseph Wright of Derby, was an English painter who specialised in portrait painting and landscape art.
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