Art Institute of Chicago

Miravan

Valentine Green (English, 1739-1813)

Date

1772

Medium

Mezzotint on off-white laid paper

Culture

England

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

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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