A self-portrait of Joseph Wright of Derby, the 18th-century painter famous as a master of light and shadow, has been acquired for the nation through a scheme that allows people to donate artworks in lieu of inheritance tax.
Self-Portrait at the Age of About Forty is the only self-portrait by Wright in which he depicts himself as an artist. It will go on permanent display in the city where Wright was born and lived.
The painting was accepted in lieu of inheritance tax, settling a sum of £779,619. Because the work was worth considerably more, Derby Museum and Art Gallery made good the difference of £2.72m with a £2.3m donation from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, plus additional amounts from the Art Fund, private donors and foundations.
The arts minister Lord Parkinson said: “It is wonderful that this rare self-portrait by Joseph Wright has been saved for the nation and acquired by Derby Museums … where it will take pride of place in the world’s largest collection of his works.”
Tony Butler, the museum’s executive director, said: “The acquisition of this painting is a triumph for Derby Museums. The work has never been in public ownership having remained in private hands since it was executed in a studio not far from where Derby Museum and Art Gallery is now. We feel a palpable sense of bringing Joseph Wright of Derby back home.”
The painting, completed around 1772, shows Wright holding a porte-crayon, with a white chalk at one end and a black chalk at the other. Light from a candle or fire plays on the folds of his artist’s costume.
On the reverse is a study for Wright’s famous work, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, widely credited as his masterpiece, which was acquired by the National Gallery in 1863.
Lucy Bamford, curator at the museum and expert on Wright’s work, said the self-portrait was of significant artistic quality. “The way it depicts his growing confidence as an artist is wonderful, and the incredible verso is the icing on the cake as it tells us so much about his way of working.”
The self-portrait, in its original elaborate frame, has been in a private collection since it was completed, and rarely seen in public. It will be displayed at the museum in a free-standing case, allowing both sides to be seen.
Acceptance in Lieu (AiL) allows people to pay an inheritance tax bill by transferring important cultural, scientific or historic objects and archives to the nation. Items accepted under the scheme are allocated to public museums, archives or libraries.
