Studies of eyes and noses and the profile of a man's face, with areas of test hatching of various degrees of weight and intensity. Inscribed 'Thos.' and 'Tho' to recto in three places. Made by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797) in 1751. Pencil and red chalk on 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
  • 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.
    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.

  • Thomas Hudson (After)

    Display Date: British, 1701 - 1779

    Nationality: British

Recto: Studies of Eyes and Noses and the Profile of a Man's Face

Date: 1751

Medium: Pencil and red chalk on paper.

Object Type:Drawing
Dimensions:Support: 216 × 279 mm (8 1/2 × 11 in.)
Description:Various Studies of Eyes and Noses with Copies of Hudson's Signature, 1751; The mathematical calculation, added to the reverse of this 1751 study of 'Eyes, Noses and part of Thomas Hudson's Signature', indicates the archive was still in the possession of Wright in 1776 (identified by Jane Wallis, 1997). The profile of the face of a man on the right of the sheet bears some resemblance to examples in Raphael's cartoons for 'Paul Preaching at Athens' and the face of Peter himself from the cartoon for 'The Healing of the Lame Man.' Equally, the profile of a face in the upper middle portion of the sheet, as well as the eyes seen to the left of the sheet, are similar to some of the female faces in the cartoon for 'The Healing of the Lame Man.' Wright made other studies from Raphael's tapestry cartoons around this time which have been preserved in the same archive group (1996-1), so it seems reasonable to look to the cartoons for the source of these studies, too. Note however that the handling is more careful and laboured on this sheet of studies compared to some of the others after Raphael in this archive (identified by Lucy Bamford, 2022).
Inscriptions:'Thos' and 'Tho' (twice), recto, bottom centre.
Provenance:Purchased from David Posnett, Leger Galleries Ltd., 1996.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1996-1/15A
Browse Collection
Browse Collection