Painting of a man reclining on the floor of a vaulted cell, titled 'The Captive'. He is partially clothed and bearded. He is shackled to a wall by his ankle and holds a stick in his left hand. He is illuminated by the warm glow of sunlight streaming through a grated window above and to his left. To the right of the canvas, a dimly lit stone staircase leads upwards. Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Oil on canvas in gilded frame. Unglazed.

Exhibitions:

  • 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: 18th Century Blues: Exploring the Melancholy Mind
    Venue: Shipley Art Gallery
    Dates: from 20/06/2008 to 31/08/2008
  • Title: Extraordinary Portraits of Ordinary People: Paintings by Emma Tooth and Joseph Wright
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 03/07/2010 to 12/09/2010

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

Related People

  • Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Artist.

  • Laurence Sterne (Association)

    Display Date: British, 1713 - 1768

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Writer and cleric. Author of 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman' (1759 - 1767) and 'A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy' (1768).

The Captive, from Sterne

Date: 1775-1777

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Object Type:Painting
Dimensions:Frame: 1535 × 1790 × 152 mm (60 7/16 × 70 1/2 × 6 in.) Support: 1016 × 1270 mm (40 × 50 in.)
Description:This painting was inspired by Laurence Sterne’s popular novel, 'A Sentimental Journey', published in 1768. In the story, the book’s main character Parson Yorick discovers that he has lost his passport in Paris and is visited by a policeman. Worried he might be sent to prison, he imagines what life might be like behind bars. Joseph Wright made several works on the theme of imprisonment during the 1770s and 1780s, two of which were drawn from Sterne’s story. In this, his second version, Wright based his prisoner on Michelangelo’s famous painting of Adam from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, leading some critics to complain that he appeared too healthy, “plump, hale and lusty”.
Provenance:...; possibly with William Bemrose of Derby; by descent to his son, Herbert Cheney Bemrose; donated to Derby Museums by Florence May Lousada, the widow of Herbert Cheney Bemrose, in 1954.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1954-219/4
Browse Collection
Browse Collection