Study of a foot, after the Antique, seen from behind. Inscribed above the foot (handwritten in black chalk): 'Jos. Wright fecit [illegible] 31st 1751 / Sr. Watkin Williams Wynn'. 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: Wallis, Jane
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.
Author: Wallis, Jane
Published Place: Derby
Published Year: 1997

Related People

Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)
Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797
Nationality: British
Biography: Artist.

Verso: Study of a Foot, after the Antique

Date: c. 1751

Medium: Black and white chalk on blue paper.

Object Type:	Drawing
Dimensions:	Support: 391 × 302 mm (15 3/8 × 11 7/8 in.)
Description:	Inscription in the top left corner (recorded as reading May 1751 by Jane Wallis, but no longer legible) appears to relate to the drawing on the other side of this sheet showing Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. It seems reasonable to assume that the study of the foot on the verso dates to the same year. This is supported by a study of the same foot, also in this group of drawings, which is also inscribed with a date of September 1751 (though this again appears to refer to a portrait study on the other side of the sheet, see DBYMU 1996-1/96B). It is unclear where Wright might may have encountered the foot. Numerous collections of classical sculpture had, or were in the process of being, established in London and elsewhere. It is possible that the foot was part of the collection of casts and other items available for artists to study at the St Martin's Lane Academy in London (established in 1735), and which would go on to form the foundation of the collection of the Royal Academy's Antique School. Another possibility is that foot may have been part of Thomas Hudson's extensive personal collection. This was dispersed through three sales following his death in 1779 and included casts of the heads of the Apollo Belvedere and Antinous, as well as a copy of Bernard de Montfacon's 'Antiquity explained, and represented in sculptures' (1725). [see E. Miles. 'Hudson and his Collection' in 'Thomas Hudson 1701-1779: Portrait Painter and Collector, A Bicentenary Exhibition' (1979).] [LB: 2024]
Inscriptions:	Inscribed above the foot (handwritten in black chalk): 'Jos. Wright fecit [illegible] 31st 1751 / Sr. Watkin Williams Wynn'.
Provenance:	…; with the Stafford family; with Agnew’s in 1991 and 1992; bought by Leger Galleries(?), from whom purchased by Derby Museums in 1995.
Viewing Status:	Contact Us
Item Ref:	1996-1/95B