Artwork
Italian Landscape
Italian Landscape is an oil painting by the British Romanticist artist Joseph Wright of Derby. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: I Wright / Pinx / 1790
About this work
Technique & Style
No further details regarding the artist's handling, the painting's condition, or specific formal or stylistic qualities are provided in the available sources.
The painting is executed in oil paint on a canvas support. It measures 103.5 cm in height and 130.4 cm in width. The medium is oil on canvas, a standard choice for Joseph Wright's landscape paintings of the period.
No further details regarding the artist's handling, the painting's condition, or specific formal or stylistic qualities are provided in the available sources. It is currently housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
Joseph Wright completed this oil on canvas in 1790. The earliest recorded owner was Mr. Mills of Yorkshire, tentatively identified by the scholar Benedict Nicolson with John Milnes of Wakefield, though the picture cannot be securely matched to works known to have belonged to Milnes. By 1831 it belonged to A.J. Bentley, who lent it that year to the Royal Manchester Institution exhibition under the title Italian Scene--Convent of St. Cosimata.
It passed by descent to John Bentley (1797–1879), whose estate sold it at Christie, Manson & Woods, London, on 15 May 1886 (lot 71). It remained in private hands until 1960, then passed through Durlacher Brothers to Thomas Agnew & Sons, who bought it on 11 April 1960 and sold it to Paul Mellon on 6 July 1960. Mellon gave the painting to the National Gallery of Art in 1983.
Context
The painting was exhibited in 1831 at the Royal Manchester Institution under the title "Italian Scene--Convent of St. Cosimata," indicating contemporary interest in Wright's Italianate landscapes. Its provenance traces through notable collectors, including the Bentley family, Durlacher Brothers, Thomas Agnew & Sons, and Paul Mellon, culminating in its 1983 gift to the National Gallery of Art. Benedict Nicolson's 1968 monograph Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Light discusses the work in relation to Wright's patrons, such as John Milnes, and situates it within the artist's broader landscape output, highlighting its role in understanding Wright's engagement with Italian scenery and his patronage networks.
Overview
Joseph Wright's 1790 oil on canvas, "Italian Landscape," presents a serene and idealized vision of a southern European vista. The painting depicts a quiet hillside with layered cliffs, a small building, and a valley leading to a distant lake. The soft, glowing light and harmonious colors contribute to an overall sense of calm, characteristic of landscape painting of the period.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a tranquil hillside, characterized by layered cliffs rendered in soft greens, pinks, and browns. A modest building perches on a ridge, overlooking a verdant valley that extends towards a distant lake. The pale sky, featuring a single fluffy cloud, bathes the entire scene in a gentle, luminous glow, creating an atmosphere of quiet contemplation.
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Artist & collection
Artist
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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