Study of a man, called John Heath; head and torso only, his body turned to the left, his face forward, wearing a coat and holding a cocked hat under his left arm. Made by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Black and white chalk on blue paper, in cream window mount.

Exhibitions:

  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734-1797: Bicentenary Exhibition
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 21/06/1997 to 28/09/1997

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.

  • John Heath (Content)

    Display Date: British, 1703 - 1815

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Banker; businessman. Son of a tenant farmer in the village of Duffield, a few miles north of Derby. Both he and his younger brother Christopher Heath (c 1718-1815, also painted by Wright, private collection), became important bankers in Derby and played prominent roles in civic life. John was Alderman (1762) then Mayor of Derby (1763-74) and 1772-73. He was also associated with the manufacture of ceramics in Derby, founding the Cockpit Hill pottery with William Butts, Thomas Rivett and Ralph Steane in 1751 and, in 1756, he became a partner with William Duesbury in the Derby Porcelain Factory. For unknown reasons the brothers went bankrupt in 1779, which locally caused a small furore, as Mary Ann Denby, somewhat hysterically, writes in a latter of March-April 1779, 'Our town is filled with moanings and complaints by the failure of Messrs. John and Christopher Heath, bankers, who have involved the whole town and county in ruin!'. [Source: Christie's lot essay, 2003: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4203261 accessed on 12 August 2022]

Study of John Heath

Date: c. 1753-55

Medium: black and white chalk on blue paper

Object Type:drawing
Dimensions:Support: 289 × 225 mm (11 3/8 × 8 7/8 in.)
Description:Study for a portrait of John Heath, which Benedict Nicholson dated on stylistic grounds to 1760, when the sitter would have been about forty. However David Fraser dates it to 1753-55, when Wright returned to Derby between his two periods of working in Thomas Hudson's studio in London, and painted himself, his parents and several prominent Derby figures. This portrait was sold by Christie's on 25 November 2003 (lot 32). Note that the finished painting does not follow the colour notes included in the study and instead presents Heath in a blue coat and plain cocked hat. Could this in fact be a study of Hudson's portrait of Edward Fleming? (LB, 2022). In their early cataloguing notes for this study (1996), Leger Galleries noted that the composition appeared to have been based on Hudson's portrait of Edward Fleming (private collection).
Inscriptions:'A Brownish Grey Velvet Coat with a Gold lac'd Hat, & [?] Waiscoat' recto, along the bottom edge of the sheet.
Provenance:Purchased from David Posnett, Leger Galleries Ltd., 1996.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1996-1/32
Browse Collection
Browse Collection