An Academy by Lamplight is a 1769 genre painting by the British artist Joseph Wright of Derby.Barker & Kidson p.159 It features a view of an art academy where a group of students are gathered round an Ancient Roman statue based on a Borghese Nymph with a Shell, learning sketching. Lit by candlelight, it features the Tenebrism style that Wright used in a number of his paintings from the period. The lifelike statue in the shadows evokes the Pygmalion myth.Riding & King p.49
Wright displayed the work at the Exhibition of 1769 held by the Society of Artists in London's Spring Gardens.Riding & King p.49 Today, it is in the collection of the Yale Center for British Art in Connecticut.https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:4986 A mezzotint based on the painting was produced in 1772 by William Pether.https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/359909
References
Bibliography Barker, Elizabeth E. & Kidson, Alex . Joseph Wright of Derby in Liverpool. Yale University Press, 2007. Riding, Christine & King, Jon. Wright of Derby: From the Shadows. National Gallery, 2005.