Lost and Found

This title offers a fascinating look at the rediscovery of Derby's spectacular "View of Gibraltar". In 1785, British painter Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-1797) exhibited a large painting representing his country's defence of the Rock of Gibraltar against Spanish attack in 1782. A specialist in the use of chiaroscuro, Wright hoped this would be the pinnacle of his career, and although it was purchased for a substantial sum at the time, it subsequently slipped into obscurity. In 2001, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre acquired a painting representing the same theme which has since been the subject of intense debate: was this picture, now in poor condition, a copy of Wright's lost painting or the missing masterpiece itself? This publication presents the result of eight years' research by specialists in conservation and archival/documentary science authenticating the painting and returning it to its proper place in the canon of British 18th century art.