Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote

Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote by Joseph Wright of Derby: Assuming a relaxed but commanding pose, Colonel Charles Heathcote (1734–1797) stands beside a large…

What to notice

In Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote, start with classical, portrait, figurative. Then look closely at this museum-described detail: He wears military dress, the single epaulette on his right shoulder designating his rank as colonel.

Discover

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.