Exhibitions:

  • Title: Paintings by Joseph Wright, A.R.A., commonly called "Wright of Derby", together with some Original Drawings, and a Complete Collection of Prints after his Works
    Venue: Derby Corporation Art Gallery
    Dates: from 15/04/1883 to 15/04/1883
  • Title: Wright of Derby: The Bi-centenary Exhibition of Paintings by Joseph Wright
    Venue: Derby Corporation Art Gallery
    Dates: from 03/09/1934 to 18/11/1934
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby
    Venue: Norwich Castle Museum
    Dates: from 03/01/1959 to 01/02/1959
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734 - 1797
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from to
  • 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: Drawings by Joseph Wright of Derby
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 31/03/1990 to 22/04/1990
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734-1797: Bicentenary Exhibition
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 21/06/1997 to 28/09/1997
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool
    Venue: Walker Art Gallery
    Dates: from 17/11/2007 to 24/02/2008
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby: Life on Paper
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 23/05/2025 to 07/09/2025

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
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Light
    Sub-Title: Volume 1
    Volume: 1
    Published Place: London
    Copyright: Benedict Nicolson, 1968
    Published Year: 1968
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Darkness
    Published Place: London
    Published Year: 2020

Related People

  • Peter Perez Burdett (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1733 - 1793

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Cartographer; artist.

  • Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Artist.

Recto: Study for 'The Alchymist', with a Letter from Peter Perez Burdett

Date: 1771

Medium: Pen and ink and grey ink wash on paper.

Object Type:Drawing
Dimensions:Support: 337 × 273 mm (13 1/4 × 10 3/4 in.)
Description:For letter on verso see DBYMU 1922-861B. Wright sometimes appeared unable to start or progress his paintings unless he was as sure in the accuracy of all the details as he possibly could be. His letters contain constant requests to his friends to check various details for him - whether it be the costume of a native Indian, or what the bear that ate Antigonus in 'The Winter's Tale' looked like. This appears to be the answer to such a request written by Peter Perez Burdett on the reverse of a study by Wright (or Burdett?) giving Burdett's thoughts regarding the accuracy of the scientific apparatus to be included in Wright's finished painting, 'The Alchymist' (plate 9). Several sources for the painting have been suggested1. One of the most important seems to be a painting by Thomas Wyck of 'The Laboratory'. This was listed in the 1841 sale catalogue of Wright's patron John Leigh Philips, as 'One of the best pictures known of the master; it was once the property of Mr Wright of Derby and very highly valued by him.'2 There is also a likely potential source for Wright's subject in James Keir's 1771 translation (from the French) of Macquer's Dictionary of Chemistry. This book describes the manufacture of phosphorus exactly as Wright depicts it, with the chemical just beginning to glow in the retort. Keir was a member of the Lunar Society; if Wright did not know him personally, his other Lunar Society friends like Darwin and Whitehurst could have acquainted him with the relevant description. The French scientist Macquer explained in his earlier 'Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chemistry', (1749-51), how alchemists, although seeking to turn base metals into gold, sometimes chanced upon other important chemical discoveries during their experiments. Wright's 'alchymist', was conducting an experiment to find the 'Philosopher's stone', that would not only make his fortune but also cure all known ills - but by chance he has discovered Phosphorus. Perhaps Wright was aware that arguably one of the greatest scientists who had ever lived, Sir Isaac Newton, also dabbled in alchemy, whatever, Wright's painting in this 'Age of Enlightenment' stresses the importance of experimentation - no matter how bizarre the original impetus. 1 Egerton, 1990, cat.39 2 Catalogue on the sale of John Leigh Philips, conducted by Winstanley and Taylor, Manchester 31 Oct 1814, No.17 in list of paintings. [Wallis, J. 'Joseph Wright of Derby' (1997), p.69.] Note uncertainty over the artist of the study: Nicolson had suggested Burdett; Egerton and Wallis suggest that it could be by either Wright or Burdett; Barker suggests Burdett owing to annotations in an 'uneven hand'. Matthew Craske notes (following on from Stephen Daniels and Paul Elliott, that the sketch/letter is evidence of the collaborative making behind the Alchymist - in this case with Burdett. Craske connects Wright's other so-called 'scientific' pictures with Burdett, too, and makes the point that Wright moved away from such subjects when his friendship with Burdett became affected by Burdett's move to Germany. [Craske, 2020, p.195.]
Inscriptions:Inscribed on the recto (handwritten in ink): 'illuminated glass', 'transparent water', 'lighter', 'table', and 'carpet'.
Provenance:... ; with William Bemrose in 1883; thence to his son, Herbert Cheney Bemrose, by whom donated to Derby Museums in 1922.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1922-861A
Browse Collection
Browse Collection