A Philosopher Giving that Lecture on the Orrery, in which a Lamp is put in the Place of the Sun

A masterpiece of British art, Wright’s celebrated ‘Orrery’ was first exhibited in London in 1766. It was the second of three subject paintings by which he established his reputation as a highly original artist, specialising in the effects of artificial light. In this picture Wright depicts a contemporary scene of a scientific lecture. A red-gowned philosopher demonstrates the workings of the solar…