Portrait of a woman, her head turned to the right, wearing an earring

Portrait of a woman, her head turned to the right, wearing an earring

Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

One of the most inventive artists of his generation, Wright sent striking night images of contemporary subjects to London from his home in Derby. This drawing belongs to a group of pastel and chalk head studies he made before departing for Italy in 1773. While the work demonstrates a masterful ability to capture a likeness, it has not been linked to a known sitter. Indeed, the open-necked gown and averted gaze suggest a character head rather than a portrait. Delicacy of touch and astonishing control of grisaille pastel allowed the artist to depict subtle transitions of light and varying textures. Careful finish is married to an impression of arrested movement, with strong raking light conveying a palpable sense of physical presence.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Portrait of a woman, her head turned to the right, wearing an earringPortrait of a woman, her head turned to the right, wearing an earringPortrait of a woman, her head turned to the right, wearing an earringPortrait of a woman, her head turned to the right, wearing an earringPortrait of a woman, her head turned to the right, wearing an earring

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.