Virgil's Tomb by Moonlight, with Silius Italicus Declaiming
Wright depicts a site that had long been a popular destination for visitors to Naples. Indeed he could reasonably expect that Londoners who viewed this painting at the Royal Academy in 1779 would recognize the tomb of Virgil (70–19 BCE), author of the Aeneid. Perhaps more obscure is the figure, Silius Italicus, the Roman orator who commemorated the anniversary of the great poet’s death each year by reading his verses aloud within the tomb. As a meditation on mortality, Wright fittingly contrasts the flickering glow of the lantern and the silvery moonlight spreading over the landscape.
Artwork Details
- Title: Virgil's Tomb by Moonlight, with Silius Italicus Declaiming
- Artist: Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby) (British, Derby 1734–1797 Derby)
- Date: 1779
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 40 x 50 in. (101.6 x 127 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, Gifts of Mrs. William M. Haupt, Josephine Bay Paul, and Estate of George Quackenbush, in his memory, by exchange, The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund Gift, and funds from various donors, 2013
- Object Number: 2013.155
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby)
1774–75
Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby)
1774–75
Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby)
1774–75
Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby)
1774–75
Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby)
1774–75
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