18th

century

Oil on canvas

English

Portrait of Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797) with Vesuvius in the background

Hurleston, Richard (fl.1763-80)

This portrait of the artist Wright of Derby is closely related to Wright’s own self-portraits of approximately the same time, where he shows himself in some form of exotic dress. Here he wears an oriental-style turban which was fashionable all over Europe at the time. In Wright’s Self-portrait, in charcoal and white chalk, in the Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, he has used elaborate feathers and appears slightly younger. The Derby drawing is generally dated c1767-1770 and, as he appears younger in it, the painting by Hurleston is likely to be later, most probably done in Italy, as Vesuvius appears in the background.

Schorr Collection, UK / © The Schorr Collection / Bridgeman Images

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