Indian Widow
| Indian Widow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Joseph Wright of Derby |
| Year | 1783/1784 |
| Type | Oil on canvas |
| Location | Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derby |
Indian Widow is a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, completed in late 1783 or early 1784 and first shown in his one-man exhibition in London in 1785. The painting is now on display at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derby, England.[1]
Description
Indian Widow was a title used by the painter himself, but a longer and more descriptive title also exists: The Widow of an Indian Chief Watching the Arms of Her Deceased Husband. According to Benedict Nicolson, in clothing the figure of the widow Wright "has fallen back on those well-worn neo-classic draperies which served for any distressed female". Nicolson finds that other details, however, are more authentic: "the form of her head-band, the treatment of the feathers, the quilled cords and knife-sheath, and the buffalo-robe painted on the skin side show knowledge of Indian technology from at least as far West as the upper Great Lakes: this proves that Wright used authentic props".[2] The concept of the Noble Savage, applied to Native Americans, was all the more popular in Britain in the 1780s when Americans of European origin could be regarded as rebels.
In contrast with Wright's paintings of candlelit scenes, here the main figure is seen silhouetted against sunlight and a stormy sky.
Similar work
An engraving of this painting was made by another Derby artist, John Raphael Smith, in 1785.[3] Wright painted a similar painting based on female fortitude entitled The Lady in Milton's Comus and a very near copy of the Indian Widow. The Lady in Milton's Comus is in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool whilst the near copy was lost in a fire.[1] This painting and the The Lady in Milton's Comus were exhibited in Wright's one man show in 1785. It is thought that this might be the first "one man show" in England.[4] Wright laid out his plans for the solo exhibition in the same year that he refused to become a Royal Acadamician.[5]
References
- ^ a b Indian Widow, Derby City Council, accessed March 2011
- ^ Nicolson, p. 148
- ^ The Widow of an Indian Chief Watching the Arms of her Deceased Husband, (Clayton 31), John Raphael Smith, Christies.com
- ^ Joseph Wright of Derby, Liverpool Museums, accessed March 2010
- ^ Two companion pieces by Wright of Derby, B. Nicholson, accessed March 2011
Bibliography
- Nicolson, Benedict (1968). Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Light. Vol. 1, p. 148.