Roman Arch with Road Below and Trees Above (Smaller Italian Sketchbook, leaf 34 recto)
Medium
Graphite, pen and brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 3/16 x 6 3/4 in. (23.4 x 17.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1957
Accession Number
57.102.1(34)
Tags
About this artwork
[Research in progress for Roman Arch with Road Below and Trees Above (Smaller Italian Sketchbook, leaf 34 recto) by Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby), 1774–75]
Art Historical Context
Joseph Wright of Derby, the celebrated English painter known for his Enlightenment-era scenes of industry and science, created this intimate sketch during his Italian tour of 1773–1775. Titled *Roman Arch with Road Below Trees Above*, it appears on leaf 34 recto of his Smaller Italian Sketchbook, personal record of his Grand Tour encounters with classical antiquity. Dating to 1774–75, the drawing captures the enduring allure of Roman ruins, blending architectural grandeur with natural overgrowth—a common motif for 18th-century travelers seeking inspiration from the past. Executed in graphite,...
About the Artist
Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby) · 1734–1797
Joseph Wright of Derby (1734–1797) was an English painter celebrated for his dramatic use of candlelight and artificial illumination, which earned him a unique position in eighteenth-century British art as the painter of the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. Born in Derby in the English Midlands, he studied in London under Thomas Hudson, a leading portrait painter, before returning to D...