Painting of a cottage on fire, by night. The cottage is situated within wooded surroundings and occupies the lower right hand corner of the canvas. The fire illuminates some ruins on an opposite bank, to the left of the cottage. Between them, the figures of a man, woman and dog - presumably the cottage's occupants - scramble away to safety. The dog turns its head to the left; its attention caught by something unseen within the ruins. Above, a full moon is visible through the trees. Signed and dated in the lower left hand corner of the canvas: 'I W Pinxt. 1793'. Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Oil on canvas in gilded frame.

Exhibitions:

  • Title: Pictures by Joseph Wright of Derby
    Venue: Graves Art Gallery
    Dates: from 17/07/1950 to 27/07/1950
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby
    Venue: Norwich Castle Museum
    Dates: from 03/01/1959 to 01/02/1959
  • 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: Landscape Exhibition
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 21/05/1994 to 26/06/1994
  • Title: The Art of Colour
    Venue: Tennants Auctioneers
    Dates: from 14/10/2022 to 18/10/2022

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: Romanticism in the North - From Friedrich to Turner
    Published Place: Groningen
    Copyright: WBOOKS/Groninger Museum
    Published Year: 2017

Related People

  • Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Artist.

Cottage on Fire

Date: 1793

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Object Type:Painting
Dimensions:Frame: 800 × 1040 × 106 mm (31 1/2 × 40 15/16 × 4 3/16 in.) Support: 635 × 762 mm (25 × 30 in.)
Description:Wright’s reputation for painting fire effects was well established by the 1790s thanks to numerous pictures of volcanic eruptions and firework displays, inspired by his trip to Italy between 1774 and 1775. Also popular were his paintings of humble cottages on fire. At least nine versions of this subject were painted between about 1786 and 1794. Whilst the details and composition of Wright’s other cottage on fire pictures differ slightly, they all contain the same basic features. These include a burning cottage within a forest, its bright, hot flames in contrast to the cool light of a full moon, just visible within the branches of the trees opposite. Here the fire illuminates the walls of a ruined castle, a symbol of the inevitability of death and decay, and the vanity of human endeavours. Beneath it, the occupants of the burning cottage and their dog scramble to safety.
Inscriptions:'I W Pinxt. 1793', recto, lower left.
Provenance:F. W. Hampshire of Norfolk; by whom donated to Derby Museums in 1936.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1936-637
Browse Collection
Browse Collection