Dovedale by Moonlight
Encyclopedia
Dovedale by Moonlight is one of five paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby
which uses the picturesque valley of Dovedale
as its subject. These paintings were sometimes made as pairs with one showing the view by day and the other by moonlight. Wright admitted that he had not observed this scene directly, "Moon lights & fire lights are but a sort of work with me for I cant with impunity go out at night and study the former, & the latter I have seen but once, and at a time too, when I thought not of painting such effects."
is a very popular dale
in Staffordshire
and Wright's home county of Derbyshire
. Admired in Wright's time, it has been owned by the National Trust
since 1924 and made available to the many Peak District
visitors. Dovedale is named for the River Dove and it is 3 miles (5 km) long.
Wright's paintings appear to be from nature, but in a letter of 1787 he said that he had observed moonlight and firelight only once at night and this was some time before he decided to create this series of paintings. However his preparatory sketches show that he was using a mixture of studies and chance. The unusual reversal of light and shade in the trees in the sketch of Dovedale is said to be after using techniques created by the Russian born Alexander Cozens
. Wright owned paintings by Cozens who taught his students to paint landscapes. He told them to create blots on paper and then use these as inspiration for the composition.
Wright frequently repeated a popular subject in his paintings as he did with his Virgil's Tomb
pictures and his Blacksmith's Shop
paintings. In this case he made five very similar paintings. The version at Oberlin College was painted in 1785 to 1786 and sold to Edward Mundy of Shipley Hall
. The college obtained it in 1951. There is a matching painting to this which is a similar view but in daylight. That painting is still in Derbyshire at Parwich Hall
which is in a small village close to Dovedale.
Wright also did a daylight view of Dovedale in 1787 which he gave to the industrialist Josiah Wedgwood
out of respect for his patronage on the arts. This painting is now in the Wedgwood Museum.
Two other paintings of Dovedale were sold to Sir Brooke Boothby bt.
of Ashbourne who had helped Wright when he put on the first one-man exhibition in London. Boothby also purchased two views of nearby Matlock, two paintings of bridges in Rome as well as an unusual 1781 portrait of himself lying by a brook holding a book by Rousseau.
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"....
which uses the picturesque valley of Dovedale
Dovedale
Dovedale is a popular dale in the Peak District, England. It is owned by the National Trust, and annually attracts a million visitors. The valley is cut by the River Dove and runs for just over between Milldale in the north and a wooded ravine near Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill in the south...
as its subject. These paintings were sometimes made as pairs with one showing the view by day and the other by moonlight. Wright admitted that he had not observed this scene directly, "Moon lights & fire lights are but a sort of work with me for I cant with impunity go out at night and study the former, & the latter I have seen but once, and at a time too, when I thought not of painting such effects."
Description
DovedaleDovedale
Dovedale is a popular dale in the Peak District, England. It is owned by the National Trust, and annually attracts a million visitors. The valley is cut by the River Dove and runs for just over between Milldale in the north and a wooded ravine near Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill in the south...
is a very popular dale
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and Wright's home county of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. Admired in Wright's time, it has been owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
since 1924 and made available to the many Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
visitors. Dovedale is named for the River Dove and it is 3 miles (5 km) long.
Wright's paintings appear to be from nature, but in a letter of 1787 he said that he had observed moonlight and firelight only once at night and this was some time before he decided to create this series of paintings. However his preparatory sketches show that he was using a mixture of studies and chance. The unusual reversal of light and shade in the trees in the sketch of Dovedale is said to be after using techniques created by the Russian born Alexander Cozens
Alexander Cozens
Alexander Cozens was a British landscape painter in watercolours, a published teacher of painting, and father of John Robert Cozens.-Life:...
. Wright owned paintings by Cozens who taught his students to paint landscapes. He told them to create blots on paper and then use these as inspiration for the composition.
History
There are no known Derbyshire landscapes by Wright that are dateable before 1786. One of the problems is that many of Wright's paintings are dated by consulting Wright's accounts in his notebook. In the case of his English landscapes this has proved challenging. It is known that some of the Dovedale pictures are some of his earliest English landscapes.Wright frequently repeated a popular subject in his paintings as he did with his Virgil's Tomb
Virgil's Tomb (Joseph Wright paintings)
Virgil's Tomb is the title of at least three paintings completed by Joseph Wright of Derby between 1779 and 1785.-Description:The subject of these paintings is a fruit of his Wright's Italian tour undertaken in 1773-1775. These three depict the ruined structure near Naples that was traditionally...
pictures and his Blacksmith's Shop
The Blacksmith's Shop
The Blacksmith's Shop is a recurring theme of five paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby. The version in his home town was originally completed in 1771.-Description:...
paintings. In this case he made five very similar paintings. The version at Oberlin College was painted in 1785 to 1786 and sold to Edward Mundy of Shipley Hall
Shipley Hall
Shipley Hall was a Hall and country estate near Heanor and Ilkeston in Derbyshire, England which now forms a Country Park.-Early history:The Shipley Estate is an ancient manor which was referenced in the Domesday Book. From the 14th century the land was extensive forest used for hunting, with a...
. The college obtained it in 1951. There is a matching painting to this which is a similar view but in daylight. That painting is still in Derbyshire at Parwich Hall
Parwich Hall
Parwich Hall is a privately owned 18th century mansion house at Parwich, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire Dales. It is a Grade II* listed building....
which is in a small village close to Dovedale.
Wright also did a daylight view of Dovedale in 1787 which he gave to the industrialist Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood
Josiah Wedgwood was an English potter, founder of the Wedgwood company, credited with the industrialization of the manufacture of pottery. A prominent abolitionist, Wedgwood is remembered for his "Am I Not A Man And A Brother?" anti-slavery medallion. He was a member of the Darwin–Wedgwood family...
out of respect for his patronage on the arts. This painting is now in the Wedgwood Museum.
Two other paintings of Dovedale were sold to Sir Brooke Boothby bt.
Sir Brooke Boothby, 6th Baronet
Sir Brooke Boothby, 6th Baronet was an English linguist, translator, minor poet and landowner in Derbyshire. He was part of the intellectual and literary circle of Lichfield which included Anna Seward and Erasmus Darwin. He welcomed Jean-Jacques Rousseau to Ashbourne circles in 1766 when the...
of Ashbourne who had helped Wright when he put on the first one-man exhibition in London. Boothby also purchased two views of nearby Matlock, two paintings of bridges in Rome as well as an unusual 1781 portrait of himself lying by a brook holding a book by Rousseau.