Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery
An orrery is a mechanical model of the solar system that was used in the eighteenth century to teach astronomy to lay audiences. In his depiction of the children marveling at the mechanism and the young man contemplating the lecture, Wright captures the eighteenth-century fascination with astronomy and natural philosophy. Painted in grisaille, a monochrome executed in shades of gray, this is a highly finished copy of a larger painting in color, made to this small scale to serve as an exact guide for mezzotint engravers to reproduce the composition as a print.
Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2021
Credit Line: Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
c. 1768
Oil on canvas
44.8 x 59.7 cm
B1981.25.719
Digital image courtesy Yale Center for British Art; free to use under the Center's Image Terms of Use
Where you'll find this
Yale Center for British Art
Permanent collection
