# Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote

**Joseph Wright of Derby** (English, 1734–1797)  
c. 1771–72  
Oil on canvas  
127 x 100 cm (50 x 39 3/8 in.)

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, 2017.100. [The museum's record](https://clevelandart.org/art/2017.100).

## About this work

Assuming a relaxed but commanding pose, Colonel Charles Heathcote (1734–1797) stands beside a large oak tree in the foreground of an expansive landscape. He wears military dress, the single epaulette on his right shoulder designating his rank as colonel. Wright’s composition demonstrates his new-found fascination with landscape: while the figure is relatively smoothly painted, the landscape is painted far more energetically, using thickly applied daubs of color.

_Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art._

Joseph Wright of Derby painted this in about 1771–72, aged about 37. It is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Joseph Wright of Derby](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/joseph-wright-of-derby)

English, 1734–1797; born in Derby; died in Derby

Wright spent most of his career in his native Derby, painting portraits of Midlands gentry and industrialists. He is best known for candlelit scenes of science and industry, such as An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump and A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery, which reflect the curiosity of friends in the circle of the Lunar Society. After two years in Italy he added erupting volcanoes, moonlit landscapes and fireworks to his repertoire.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: England
- The artist was about 37
- Real size: about 50 × 39 in (127 × 100 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 20 × 30 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 18th century
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/784.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/784/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/portrait-of-colonel-charles-heathcote-cma-302209).