A Philosopher by Lamplight
Encyclopedia
A Philosopher by lamplight (also known as A Hermit studying anatomy) is a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby
. It is not known when Wright painted the picture, but it was first exhibited in 1769 in London with the Society of Artists
. This was one of the earliest of many lamplight or candlelight paintings and portraits for which Wright is famed.
. Each has a main figure in the foreground with two subsidiary ones behind, both are night scenes and show old men engaged in scientific research.
The painting shows an old man who is thought to be a philosopher or a pilgrim,examining a collection of human bones in a lamp-lit cave. Two smaller men, or boys, dressed as pilgrims (as identified by the scallop shells in their hats: the emblem of St James) seem to be approaching him. The size of these figures is a lot smaller than the main character in the painting. Outside the cave the dark landscape is lit by the moonlight breaking through the clouds. Shells were the sign of pilgrims but they were also the emblem of the Darwin family which included Erasmus Darwin
who was a leading member of the Lunar Society
and Derby Philosophical Society
which linked key men in the age of enlightenment.
Experts believe that this painting was based on Salvator Rosa
's Democritus in Meditation. Wright’s friend John Hamilton Mortimer
was a follower of Rosa’s so it is possible that Wright would have seen Rosa's work or an engraving of it. Democritus was a Greek philosopher who is remembered for making fun of the foolishness of mankind.
Though the painting's subtitle is A Hermit Studying Anatomy, his attitude towards the bones he is holding does not suggest particularly serious scrutiny. He is surrounded by symbols of the ephemeral nature of the human condition which include the skeleton, a lamp that will burn all its fuel, the moon which has to be reborn every four weeks and an hour glass. The moon was also the symbol of the Lunar Society
which Wright was strongly associated with although he never became a member.
The preoccupation of the philosopher and trepidation of the two pilgrims may be a reflection on concerns about the new scientific understanding and enlightenment at the time Wright lived.
Joseph Wright of Derby
Joseph Wright , styled Wright of Derby, was an English landscape and portrait painter. He has been acclaimed as "the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution"....
. It is not known when Wright painted the picture, but it was first exhibited in 1769 in London with the Society of Artists
Society of Artists
The Society of Artists of Great Britain was founded in London in May 1761 by an association of artists in order to provide a venue for the public exhibition of recent work by living artists, such as was having success in the long-established Paris salons....
. This was one of the earliest of many lamplight or candlelight paintings and portraits for which Wright is famed.
Description
This picture was described in the catalogue of the 1801 sale as a companion to The Alchemist Discovering PhosphorusThe Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus
The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus is a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby originally completed in 1771 then reworked in 1795. The full title of the painting is “The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone, Discovers Phosphorus, and prays for the successful Conclusion of his operation, as...
. Each has a main figure in the foreground with two subsidiary ones behind, both are night scenes and show old men engaged in scientific research.
The painting shows an old man who is thought to be a philosopher or a pilgrim,examining a collection of human bones in a lamp-lit cave. Two smaller men, or boys, dressed as pilgrims (as identified by the scallop shells in their hats: the emblem of St James) seem to be approaching him. The size of these figures is a lot smaller than the main character in the painting. Outside the cave the dark landscape is lit by the moonlight breaking through the clouds. Shells were the sign of pilgrims but they were also the emblem of the Darwin family which included Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Darwin
Erasmus Darwin was an English physician who turned down George III's invitation to be a physician to the King. One of the key thinkers of the Midlands Enlightenment, he was also a natural philosopher, physiologist, slave trade abolitionist,inventor and poet...
who was a leading member of the Lunar Society
Lunar Society
The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,...
and Derby Philosophical Society
Derby Philosophical Society
The Derby Philosophical Society was a club for gentleman in Derby founded in 1783 by Erasmus Darwin. The club had many notable members and also offered the first institutional library in Derby that was available to some section of the public.-History:...
which linked key men in the age of enlightenment.
Experts believe that this painting was based on Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa
Salvator Rosa was an Italian Baroque painter, poet and printmaker, active in Naples, Rome and Florence. As a painter, he is best known as an "unorthodox and extravagant" and a "perpetual rebel" proto-Romantic.-Early life:...
's Democritus in Meditation. Wright’s friend John Hamilton Mortimer
John Hamilton Mortimer
John Hamilton Mortimer was a British Neoclassical painter known primarily for his romantic paintings and pieces set in Italy and its countryside, various other works depicting conversations between people, and works drawn in the 1770s portraying war scenes, very similar to those of Salvator Rosa...
was a follower of Rosa’s so it is possible that Wright would have seen Rosa's work or an engraving of it. Democritus was a Greek philosopher who is remembered for making fun of the foolishness of mankind.
Though the painting's subtitle is A Hermit Studying Anatomy, his attitude towards the bones he is holding does not suggest particularly serious scrutiny. He is surrounded by symbols of the ephemeral nature of the human condition which include the skeleton, a lamp that will burn all its fuel, the moon which has to be reborn every four weeks and an hour glass. The moon was also the symbol of the Lunar Society
Lunar Society
The Lunar Society of Birmingham was a dinner club and informal learned society of prominent figures in the Midlands Enlightenment, including industrialists, natural philosophers and intellectuals, who met regularly between 1765 and 1813 in Birmingham, England. At first called the Lunar Circle,...
which Wright was strongly associated with although he never became a member.
The preoccupation of the philosopher and trepidation of the two pilgrims may be a reflection on concerns about the new scientific understanding and enlightenment at the time Wright lived.