Painting of a landscape, titled 'Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Moonlight'; viewed from within a dark cavern looking out towards a moonlit sea and coastline, upon which is a solitary sailing boat. Inscribed to recto, lower right: 'JW o D pinx / 178[?]' (last number illegible). Made by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), c. 1780-1781. Oil on canvas in gilded frame. Glazed.

Painting of a landscape, titled 'Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Moonlight'; viewed from within a dark cavern looking out towards a moonlit sea and coastline, upon which is a solitary sailing boat. Inscribed to recto, lower right: 'JW o D pinx / 178[?]' (last number illegible). Made by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), c. 1780-1781. Oil on canvas in gilded frame. Glazed.

Painting of a landscape, titled 'Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Moonlight'; viewed from within a dark cavern looking out towards a moonlit sea and coastline, upon which is a solitary sailing boat. Inscribed to recto, lower right: 'JW o D pinx / 178[?]' (last number illegible). Made by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), c. 1780-1781. Oil on canvas in gilded frame. Glazed.

Exhibitions:

Title: 13th Exhibition of the Royal Academy
Venue: Royal Academy of Arts
Dates: from 06/06/1781 to 06/06/1781
Title: Joseph Wright and the Lure of Italy
Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Dates: from 18/03/2016 to 12/06/2016
Title: Museum Menagerie
Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Dates: from 11/02/2017 to 19/02/2017

Publications

Title: Romanticism in the North - From Friedrich to Turner
Published Place: Groningen
Copyright: WBOOKS/Groninger Museum
Published Year: 2017

Related People

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

Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Moonlight

Date: c. 1780-1781

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Object Type:	Painting
Dimensions:	Frame: 1204 × 1484 × 57 mm (47 3/8 × 58 7/16 × 2 1/4 in.) Support: 1016 × 1270 mm (40 × 50 in.)
Description:	During his visit to the Kingdom of Naples in 1774, Wright became fascinated by the caverns on its coastline. The drawings he made in and around the Gulf of Salerno inspired several paintings of similar scenes at different times of the day. In this version Wright creates a dramatic atmosphere by exploiting the contrast between the dark craggy cave in the foreground, and the eerie blue light of the moon reflected on the calm, still sea beyond.; Joseph Wright (1734 - 1797) Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, by Moonlight About 1780 - 1790 Oil on canvas Writing to his brother Richard in Derby in November 1774, Wright declared, ‘I am just returned from an excursion to Naples, which I made partly to satisfy my curiosity for seeing one of the most wonderful parts of the world, and partly to improve my health.’ He returned to Rome invigorated, with many sketches of the region’s landscape including the sea-washed grottos of the Gulfs of Naples and Salerno. Naples’ natural grottos were originally used as dwellings by prehistoric humans and later became hideouts for smugglers. Wright’s grotto scenes explore this Romantic appeal. In this painting, the foreboding, rocky frame of a dark grotto opens out onto a view of a calm moonlit sea and solitary boat. Exhibited at the Royal Academy exhibition of 1781 (no 112) as 'Grotto in the Gulf of Salernum[sic], Moonlight', and listed for sale in the catalogue. Date changed on the record to reflect this, as c.1780-1781. [LB: 2024] Correspondence with Martin Postle in November 2024: 'I have just checked the Hardman sale catalogue of 1838 and can confirm that this picture did not feature, although the companion cavern sunset picture (Yale) did. I can only assume it was one of the works that was purchased along with Thomas Hardman’s house by James Hatton.' The companion painting at the Yale Center for British Art, is titled 'A Grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, Sunset', c.1780-1781 (accession number B1981.25.710).
Inscriptions:	'JW o D pinx / 178[?]' recto, lower right (last number illegible).
Provenance:	...; listed for sale when shown at the Royal Academy exhibition of 1781; ...; purchased by Thomas Hardman; purchased by James Hatton(?); ...; with Simon Dickinson in 2001, from whom purchased by Derby Museums.
Viewing Status:	Contact Us
Item Ref:	2001-72