Painting showing a view from within the Colosseum in Rome. In the foreground, two male figures appear to discuss the structure, dwarfed by its monumental scale. To the right of them, a large slope covered in vegetation, leads into a dark vaulted space. This area had suffered extensive damage in the past and evidence of its restoration, including the addition of a canvas infill, is slightly visible. Beyond the figures, the main structure of the Colosseum is visible, illuminated by warm sunlight. Inscribed to recto, lower right 'I. W. P. 178[?]'. Painted by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797). Oil on canvas in gilded frame.

Exhibitions:

Title: 21st Exhibition of the Royal Academy
Venue: Royal Academy of Arts
Dates: from 27/04/1789 to 06/06/1789
Title: Joseph Wright and the Lure of Italy (The Grand Tour, Part 2)
Venue: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Dates: from 18/03/2016 to 12/06/2016

Publications

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.

The Colosseum, Rome - Daylight

Date: 1780-1789

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Object Type:	Painting
Dimensions:	Frame: 1340 × 1598 × 130 mm (52 3/4 × 62 15/16 × 5 1/8 in.) Support: 1041 × 1295 mm (41 × 51 in.)
Inscriptions:	'I. W. P. /178[?]' recto, lower right (very faint).
Provenance:	Listed in Wright’s Account Book as ‘Parts of the Colleseum sunshine; Do. its Companion moonlight £52.10.0’ (each); remained unsold during Wright's lifetime; offered at his posthumous sale, Christie’s 6 May 1801 (lot 54, as ‘The Colosseo at Rome with Figures, a highly finished View of this grand and interesting Monument of Antiquity’), whereupon purchased by Thomas Borrow (later Borough) of Derby and later Chetwynd Park, Salop, for £74.11.0; by descent to Colonel John G. Burton Borough of Chetwynd Park, Salop; by whom bequeathed to Derby Museums in 1961.
Viewing Status:	Contact Us
Item Ref:	1961-508/4