Entrance to the Dove Holes, Derbyshire,

1773

Prior to his extended stay in Italy (1774–76), which inspired his celebrated views of volcanoes and grottoes, Wright shifted his attention away from portraits and narrative paintings toward landscape as his principal subject. The change was inspired by his association with an influential group of industrialists, scientists, naturalists, and freemasons, known as the Birmingham Lunar Society, which embodied the progressive intellectual values of the Age of Enlightenment. The group included the Derby clockmaker John Whitehurst, whose investi­gations into the geological significance of active volcanoes informed Wright’s penetrating observations of natural phenomena. This large sheet represents the entrance to two caves known as the Dove Holes, located in the Peak District in Derby­shire, which is still a popular tourist destination. With each brushstroke, Wright transforms topographical specificity into anthropomorphic spirit of place, luring the spectator inexorably into the vortex of the larger cave. The drawing is dedicated to the printmaker William Pether (ca. 1738–1821), who created numerous mezzotints and engravings after Wright’s paintings, including <em>A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery </em>of 1766 (Derby Art Museum and Gallery).