© Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Miravan Breaking Open the Tomb of his Ancestors
Artist: Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797)
Location: Derby Museum and Art Gallery
Date: 1772
Materials: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 127 x 101.6cm
Gift:
Review number: 1060 (1937)
Description:
This subject is from John Gilbert Cooper's Letters Concerning Taste of 1755. Miravan, an Arab nobleman has come upon the tomb of one of his ancestors with the inscription, 'in this tomb is a greater treasure than Croesus ever possessed.' Inflamed by greed, he orders it to be opened and is struck dumb when he discovers only a heap of dust and bones. Intensifying the drama and theatricality of the whole are the smashed door and lurid moonlight sky which add a sense of menace to the picture.
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