Joseph Wright of Derby, 1734–1797, British, active in Italy (1773–75)
Title:
Cavern, near Naples
Date:
1774
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
40 x 50 inches (101.6 x 127 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Bequest of Pamela Askew
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1998.26.1
Gallery Label:
In 1774, Joseph Wright of Derby visited Salerno, south of Naples, and was impressed by the deep sea-washed grottoes along the coast. The subject had precedents in the work of the Neapolitan-born painter Salvator Rosa (1615–1673), whose work was widely admired by British collectors. For Wright, the grottoes formed a stimulating template for his experiments with different rock textures, effects of light and shadow, and watery reflections. He made numerous versions of the caverns, sometimes employing it as a setting for genre subjects (for example, as a hideout for thieves) and literary subjects (such as Prospero’s cell, in an illustration of The Tempest in Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery). Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016