Romeo and Juliet: the Tomb Scene
Romeo and Juliet: The Tomb Scene | |
---|---|
Artist | Joseph Wright of Derby |
Year | 1790 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 180 cm × 240 cm (70 in × 95 in) |
Location | Derby Museum and Art Gallery, Derby |
Romeo and Juliet: the Tomb Scene is a painting by
History
The idea for the painting came from Wright in December 1776 when he proposed a painting of "Juliet waking in the tomb". The commission was agreed by Alderman John Boydell for his "Shakespeare Gallery". However the work was the cause of a major row between them.[1] Wright discovered that Boydell had classified the painters he had commissioned into two classes. Wright had discovered that he was assigned to the second class. He was to be paid 300 pounds for one painting and he was aggrieved to discover that some artists were being paid a thousand pounds. Wright's objection was more to do with the damage to his reputation than for the loss of income.
Boydell was unrepentant and although Wright's painting of Romeo and Juliet was ready in time it was his painting of
Wright had the painting exhibited in the
As a result of Wright's argument with Boydell the painting was rejected and stayed in Wright's possession. It was at Christie's in 1801 and in Derby for sale in 1810, but it failed to find a buyer. It was bought from Wright's executors and it was in the Oakes family from 1883 until it was purchased for Derby Museums for £33,250 in 1981.[6]
Description
The painting is 70 inches high and 95 wide
References
- ^ ISBN 9780710062840. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
- ^ James Northcote, A Monument Belonging to the Capulets (1789) Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Shakespeare Illustrated, accessed March 2011
- ^ 'Candidates for fame': the Society of Artists of Great Britain, 1760–1791, Matthew Hargraves, Yale University Press, 2005, 244 pages, accessed March 2011
- ^ a b Modes, Derby Museum Catalogue, accessed March 2011
- ISBN 1-85983-379-9.
- ^ a b Romeo and Juliet by Joseph Wright, Artfund, accessed March 2011
- ^ Bamford, Lucy (9 December 2014). "About a Painting: Joseph Wright's Romeo & Juliet: the Tomb Scene". Derbyshire Life and Countryside. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ Act 5 scene 3, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
- ^ Now in the Royal Collection, Royal Collection Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9780710062840. Retrieved 13 March 2011.