Drawing of the interior of a room, with the figure of a semi-nude man lying on the floor, his ankles shackled. Above him is a hanging lantern. Identified as a study for the now lost painting titled 'The Captive King', by Joseph Wright of Derby. Along the bottom edge of the drawing is a scale bar and, to the left and right, the vanishing points are marked. Inscribed below drawing (handwritten in ink): 'Scale of [illegible] Inches', and to left (handwritten in ink): 'vanishing / point / [?] Inches from mark', and to right (handwritten in ink): 'Horizontal / line' and 'vanishing / point'. On the verso is a letter. Made by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797), or Peter Perez Burdett (1734-1793), c. 1772-73. Pen and ink and ink wash, with pencil, on paper. Displayed in a cream window mount.

Exhibitions:

  • Title: Paintings by Joseph Wright, A.R.A., commonly called "Wright of Derby", together with some Original Drawings, and a Complete Collection of Prints after his Works
    Venue: Derby Corporation Art Gallery
    Dates: from 22/07/1883 to 22/07/1883
  • Title: Pictures by Joseph Wright of Derby
    Venue: Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield
    Dates: from 17/07/1950 to 27/07/1950
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool
    Venue: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
    Dates: from to
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby: An Exhibition to Commemorate the Centenary of Derby Museums and Art Gallery
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 21/04/1979 to 21/07/1979
  • Title: Drawings by Joseph Wright of Derby
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 31/03/1990 to 22/04/1990
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734-1797: Bicentenary Exhibition
    Venue: Wallis, Jane
    Dates: from 21/06/1997 to 28/09/1997
  • Title: Gothic Nightmares
    Venue: Tate Britain, London
    Dates: from 15/02/2006 to 01/05/2006
  • 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
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Light
    Sub-Title: Volume 1
    Volume: 1
    Author: Benedict Nicolson
    Published Place: London
    Copyright: Benedict Nicolson, 1968
    Published Year: 1968
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Darkness
    Author: Matthew Craske
    Published Place: London
    Published Year: 2020

Related People

  • Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Artist.

  • Peter Perez Burdett (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1733 - 1793

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Cartographer; artist.

Recto: Study for 'The Captive King'

Date: c. 1772-1773

Medium: Pen and ink and ink wash, with pencil, on laid paper.

Object Type:Drawing
Dimensions:Support: 337 × 397 mm (13 1/4 × 15 5/8 in.) Overall (Frame): 539 × 574 × 15 mm
Inscriptions:Inscribed below drawing (handwritten in ink): 'Scale of [illegible] Inches', and to left (handwritten in ink): 'vanishing / point / [?] Inches from mark', and to right (handwritten in ink): 'Horizontal / line' and 'vanishing / point'.
Provenance:...; William Bemrose of Derby; by descent to his son, Charles Lloyd Bemrose, by whom donated to Derby Museums in 1914.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1914-517/78A
Browse Collection
Browse Collection