Description
The museum provides the following interpretation of the original painting:
A Philosopher Giving that Lecture on an Orrery, in which a Lamp is put in the Place of the Sun
When Joseph Wright first exhibited this painting in 1766, it inspired high praise and even poetry. It remains one of his most famous paintings. At its centre, a red gowned philosopher presents a lecture on astronomy using a clockwork model of the solar system called an ‘Orrery’. When it was painted, scientific lectures and demonstrations were popular forms of public entertainment. In Derby, where there was great interest in science and technology, such lectures were held regularly at the Town Hall. These events, combined with Wright’s friendship with some of Derby’s leading scientific minds, may have inspired him to paint this picture. His choice of subject was unprecedented at the time and his dramatic use of light captured the public imagination.
Joseph Wright was a celebrated 18th century painter whose works reflect the exciting period of intellectual inquiry and discovery that was the British Enlightenment. Wright’s subjects included portraits, landscapes, subjects from literature and scenes of industry and scientific equipment. The Derby Museum and Art Gallery in his hometown of Derby, England, has the largest collection of the artist’s work in any public gallery in the world, and A Philosopher Giving that Lecture on an Orrery, in which a Lamp is put in the Place of the Sun is one of the museum’s highlights.
References:
Barker, Elizabeth E. “New light on The Orrery: Joseph Wright and the representation of astronomy in 18th-century Britain.” British Art Journal, 1, no. 2 (Spring 2000): 29-37.
“Collection: Joseph Wright of Derby.” 4 October 1999. Derby Museum and Art Gallery. https://www.derbymuseums.org/collection/joseph-wright-of-derby/ (26 February 2021).
