Drawing of a bearded, semi-clad figure receiving alms from two Roman soldiers. Identified by an inscription in a stone block above him as Belisarius. A young girl crouches in the bottom left corner holding a basket. To the right a young boy leans aginast a stone block, whilst another young boy bends to kiss Belisarius's hand. Inscribed to bottom right: 'Rome Feb / 75 - JW', and carved into a stone: ‘DATE OBOLUM BELLISARIO’.

Exhibitions:

  • Title: Wright in Italy. Joseph Wright of Derby's Visit Abroad, 1773-5
    Venue: Fraser, David
    Dates: from 08/08/1987 to 20/09/1987
  • Title: Wright of Derby
    Venue: Tate Gallery
    Dates: from 16/04/1990 to 16/04/1990
  • 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 and the Lure of Italy
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 18/03/2016 to 12/06/2016
  • 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

Related People

  • Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Artist.

Belisarius Receiving Alms

Date: 1775

Medium: Pen, ink, and brown wash over pencil on paper.

Object Type:drawing
Dimensions:Support: 508 × 686 mm (20 × 27 in.)
Description:A finished drawing of a classical subject from Roman history, executed four months before Wright left Rome. As his friend and fellow artist, John Hamilton Mortimer had used the subject of Belisarius for a painting in Radbourne Hall in Derbyshire in 1770-2, it was not a new subject for Wright, but the manner of its portrayal does bear witness to his Italian experience. The drawing is executed in the linear style reminiscent of his 'drawings after the Antique', and as David Fraser notes.1 Belisarius's boy, seated on the right, is adapted from a study, probably from life, in Wright's Roman Sketchbook (British Museum). Judy Egerton2 explains how Belisarius, (a once great general in Emperor Justinian's Army, who was brought down and disgraced by envious intrigues), became a cult hero for this period, largely through the novel 'Belisarius' based on the subject by Marmontel, 1766. The elements of the story vary, but the version which Wright appears to draw, has Belisarius blinded, led about by a boy, and forced to beg for a living. 1 David Fraser, Wright in Italy, Sudbury 1987 2 Egerton, 1990, cat.89. [from J. Wallis, 'Joseph Wright of Derby' (1997), p.83.] Note similarity of the figures of the children in this scene with figures seen in Wright's Italian Sketchbook (British Museum Collection). Specifically the young boy on the right leaning against a stone block, which finds its match in the boy seen on page 30V of the Italian Sketchbook (accession number: 1939,0814.1.30V). Also the street and buildings seen behind the figures of the two soldiers on the left. [LB: 2024]
Inscriptions:Inscribed to bottom right: 'Rome Feb / 75 - JW', and carved into a stone: ‘DATE OBOLUM BELLISARIO’.
Provenance:Purchased in 1981.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1981-206
Browse Collection
Browse Collection