| An Academy by Lamplight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Joseph Wright of Derby |
| Year | 1769 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, genre painting |
| Dimensions | 127 cm× 101 cm(50 in× 40 in) |
| Location | Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut |
An Academy by Lamplight is a 1769 genre painting by the British artist Joseph Wright of Derby. [1] It features a view of an art academy where a group of students are gathered round an Ancient Roman statue based on a Borghese Nymph with a Shell, studying of sketching. Lit by candlelight, it features the Tenebrism style that Wright used in a number of his paintings from the period. The lifelike statue in the shadows evokes the Pygmalion myth. [2]
Wright of Derby displayed the work at the Exhibition of 1769 held by the Society of Artists in London's Spring Gardens. [3] Today it is in the collection of the Yale Center for British Art in Connecticut. [4] A mezzotint based on the painting was produced un 1772 by William Pether. [5]
