A drawing of a nude, male figure dancing, identified as the 'Dancing Faun (or Satyr)', after a cast from the Antique sculpture at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. The figure is standing, with his right foot on a ‘scabellum’ (a foot-clapper). He holds cymbals in each of his hands. Inscribed on recto, along the pedestal of the sculpture (handwritten in pencil): 'F. Academy 22 April - 74 / Rome' and in the top right corner (handwritten in ink): '36'. Lower right corner creased. Made by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797), 1774. Pencil on paper. Displayed in a cream window mount.

Exhibitions:

Title: Joseph Wright of Derby: An Exhibition to Commemorate the Centenary of Derby Museums and Art Gallery
Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Dates: from 21/04/1979 to 21/07/1979
Title: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734-1797: Bicentenary Exhibition
Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Dates: from 21/06/1997 to 28/09/1997

Publications

Title: Joseph Wright of Derby 1734 - 1797
Sub-Title: An introduction to the work of Joseph Wright of Derby with a catalogue of drawings held by Derby Museum and Art Gallery. Published on the occasion of an exhibition commemorating the Bicentenary of the artist's death.
Published Place: Derby
Published Year: 1997

Related People

Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)
Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797
Nationality: British
Biography: Artist.

Study of the 'Dancing Faun (or Satyr)', after the Antique

Date: 22.4.1774

Medium: Pencil on paper.

Object Type:	Drawing
Dimensions:	Support: 527 × 324 mm (20 3/4 × 12 3/4 in.)
Description:	First of three studies of this figure made between 15-22 April 1774 (see DBYMU 1914-517/25 and 1914-517/36). The figure that Wright studied at the French Academy is likely o have been a cast or copy of the Antique original; an Hellenistic statue that has been on display in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence since the second half of the 1600s. [LB: 2024] In addition to working in the Capitoline, Wright frequently drew from statuary in the collection of the French Academy. The three 'Satyr' studies illustrate Wright's documentary approach, systematically recording the poses of the statues as seen from several angles of view. Having previously rendered the same statue from the left and right sides on April 15, Wright returned seven days later to make this frontal study (see cat.176, 177). [Baker, G. in Wallis, J. 'Joseph Wright of Derby 1734 - 1797' (Derby, 1997), p.95.]
Inscriptions:	Inscribed on recto, along the pedestal of the sculpture (handwritten in pencil): 'F. Academy 22 April - 74 / Rome' and in the top right corner (handwritten in ink): '36'.
Provenance:	...; William Bemrose of Derby; by descent to his son, Charles Lloyd Bemrose, by whom donated to Derby Museums in 1914.
Viewing Status:	Contact Us
Item Ref:	1914-517/9