Painting of a man, called an 'earth stopper', in a nocturnal landscape digging by the light of a lantern. He is accompnaied by a dog and horse. To his left is a river and behind him a large expanse of rock, above which the moon glows brightly. In the distance a small thatched cottage is visible, with a solitary light burning in a window. Inscribed recto, lower left: 'J Wright Pinxt /1773'. Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Oil on canvas in carved and gilded frame. Unglazed.
Painting of a man, called an 'earth stopper', in a nocturnal landscape digging by the light of a lantern. He is accompnaied by a dog and horse. To his left is a river and behind him a large expanse of rock, above which the moon glows brightly. In the distance a small thatched cottage is visible, with a solitary light burning in a window. Inscribed recto, lower left: 'J Wright Pinxt /1773'. Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Oil on canvas in carved and gilded frame. Unglazed.
Painting of a man, called an 'earth stopper', in a nocturnal landscape digging by the light of a lantern. He is accompnaied by a dog and horse. To his left is a river and behind him a large expanse of rock, above which the moon glows brightly. In the distance a small thatched cottage is visible, with a solitary light burning in a window. Inscribed recto, lower left: 'J Wright Pinxt /1773'. Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Oil on canvas in carved and gilded frame. Unglazed.

Exhibitions:

  • Title: 13th Exhibition of the Society of Artists
    Venue: Society of Artists, Great Room, Strand
    Dates: from 29/04/1773 to
  • Title: Le Paysage Anglais de Gainsborough à Turner
    Venue: Musee National de l'Orangerie, Paris
    Dates: from 01/02/1953 to 01/04/1953
  • Title: European Masters of the Eighteenth Century. Winter Exhibition.
    Venue: Royal Academy of Arts, London
    Dates: from 27/11/1954 to 27/02/1955
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby
    Venue: Norwich Castle Museum
    Dates: from 03/01/1959 to 01/02/1959
  • Title: Gifts to the Galleries (NACF)
    Venue: Walker Art Gallery
    Dates: from 22/07/1968 to
  • Title: British Sporting Painting, 1650 - 1850
    Venue: Hayward Gallery, London
    Dates: from to
  • Title: Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734-1797: An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings Arranged by the Arts Council
    Venue: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
    Dates: from to
  • Title: Wright of Derby
    Venue: Tate Gallery, London
    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: Zwei Jahrhunderte Englische Malerei: Britische Kunst und Europa, 1680 - 1880
    Venue: Haus der Kunst München
    Dates: from 21/11/1979 to 27/01/1980
  • Title: Extraordinary Portraits of Ordinary People: Paintings by Emma Tooth and Joseph Wright
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 03/07/2010 to 12/09/2010
  • Title: Museum Menagerie
    Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
    Dates: from 11/02/2017 to 19/02/2017
  • Title: Wright of Derby: From the Shadows
    Venue: National Gallery, London
    Dates: from 07/11/2025 to 01/11/2026

Publications

  • Title: Wright of Derby
    Author: Judy Egerton
    Published Place: London
    Copyright: The Tate Gallery
    Published Year: 1990
  • 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

Related People

  • Joseph Wright of Derby (Artist)

    Display Date: British, 1734 - 1797

    Nationality: British

    Biography: Artist.

An Earth Stopper on the Banks of the Derwent

Date: 1773

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Object Type:Painting
Dimensions:Frame: 1155 × 1400 × 80 mm (45 1/2 × 55 1/8 × 3 1/8 in.) Support: 965 × 1206 mm (38 × 47 1/2 in.)
Inscriptions:'J Wright Pinxt /1773' lower left.
Provenance:Listed in Wright's Account Book as ‘Picture of an Earthstopper to Lord - £52.10.0’.; with Philip Yorke, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke in 1773; by descent to Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke; offered at the sale of Charles Philip Yorke, 5th Earl of Hardwicke at Christie’s, 7 August 1880 (lot 75, as ‘J. Wright… A river scene, with a man and dog’), transaction uncertain; ...; offered for sale at Christie’s, 17 March 1950 (lot 123), and purchased by ‘Scully’; ...; Benedict Nicolson, from whom purchased by Derby Museums in 1956. Note that this object has an incomplete provenance for the years 1933-1945.
Viewing Status:Contact Us
Item Ref:1956-288
Browse Collection
Browse Collection