Miravan

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Being relatively cheap and widely available, prints reproducing Joseph Wright of Derby's paintings were largely responsible for establishing his reputation. Valentine Green's mezzotint captures the drama and exoticism of Wright's painting of the story of Miravan, a young nobleman who raided the tomb of his ancestor looking for treasure, only to find an inscription rebuking him for his greed and for disturbing the eternal rest of the dead. The rich blacks and bright highlights of the mezzotint technique were ideally suited to the translation of the unusual lamplight that had become one of Wright's trademarks.

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