Self-portrait, at the age of about 20, in a feigned oval, three-quarter length; turned to the right, head half-left, eyes forward. He wears an elaborate 'Van Dyck' style costume comprising a high, lace-trimmed collar and matching cuffs, black silk satin jacket (or doublet), and red cape. A leather sword hanger belt crosses his chest. He wears his hair tied back with a black ribbon, with side curls to his temples. Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Oil on canvas in gilded frame.

Exhibitions:

  • Title: Midland Counties Exhibition
    Venue: Derby Drill Hall
    Dates: from 01/05/1870 to 01/05/1870
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734 - 1797
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from to
  • Title: Acquisition in Focus - Wright of Derby: Mr & Mrs Coltman
    Venue: National Gallery
    Dates: from 05/02/1986 to 27/04/1986
  • Title: Wright of Derby
    Venue: Tate Gallery
    Dates: from 16/04/1990 to 16/04/1990
  • 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: Wright of Derby
    Published Place: London
    Copyright: The Tate Gallery
    Published Year: 1990
  • 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: Acquisition in Focus
    Sub-Title: Wright of Derby: Mr & Mrs Coltman
    Published Place: National Gallery, London
    Published Year: 1986

Related People

  • Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Artist.

Self-Portrait in Van Dyck Costume, aged about twenty

Date: c. 1753 - 1754

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Object Type:Painting
Dimensions:Frame: 920 × 790 × 45 mm (36 1/4 × 31 1/8 × 1 3/4 in.) Support: 762 × 635 mm (30 × 25 in.)
Description:This early self-portrait was painted when Joseph Wright was about 20 years old. It was probably produced in Derby during a break from his training with the popular London-based portraitist, Thomas Hudson. Wright deliberately echoes the work of artist, Sir Anthony van Dyck, who rose to great fame in the early 1600s. It gives a hint of Wright's artistic aspirations.
Provenance:Anna Romana Cade (nee Wright), the artist's daughter; thence by descent to T. C. Cade and then Dorothy Mary Rowena Cade; purchased by Derby Museums from the executors of Dorothy Mary Rowena Cade, via Leger Galleries, in 1984.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1984-29
Browse Collection
Browse Collection