Sketch of a Female Nude Resembling the Medici Venus 1774 - 1775

Joseph Wright of Derby made this sketch of a female nude resembling the Medici Venus with graphite on laid paper some time in the late 18th century. Wright was an English painter known for his use of tenebrism and his depictions of Enlightenment ideas. This sketch demonstrates the neoclassical taste in Britain at the time. The Medici Venus was a famous Graeco-Roman sculpture in the Medici collection in Florence, and it became one of the standard models for academic nudes. As the Royal Academy developed its authority over British art, life drawing became an important part of artistic training. This sketch may have been made as part of Wright's preparation for more ambitious paintings. However, it’s important to remember that the display of the nude body has always been subject to social and institutional control. We can learn more about this history through careful examination of archival material and contemporary critical writing.