Head of an Old Man

During the 1770s, Joseph Wright of Derby painted several character heads of old men. They were not intended as portraits, but rather as studies undertaken for the artist's own interest, artistic development, or potential use in his subject pictures, which in this decade were frequently preoccupied with ageing and its perceived association with wisdom. Nicolson suggested that the present work was the first of a series painted in Liverpool in circa 1770-3, before Wright’s journey to Italy, and compared the handling of the brown sleeves to Miravan Breaking Open the Tomb of his Ancestors, completed in 1772 (Derby, Derby Museum and Art Gallery; op. cit., p. 63). Wright’s studies of old men from later in the decade demonstrate a handling and design much influenced by his time in Italy, where he stayed from late 1773-5, predominantly in and around Rome.

For Wright and his contemporaries painting older people was common practice as part of their artistic training, to further develop their study of human expression. In this case, Wright carefully describes the wrinkles around the sitter’s eyes, delicately portrays the wisps of his beard and his tufts of hair, in contrast to the rougher fur trim of his jacket.