Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent

Joseph Wright of Derby painted Earthstopper on the Banks of the Derwent around 1773, depicting the nocturnal activity of the earthstopper — a man employed by fox-hunters to block the earths (fox holes) before dawn so that foxes could not retreat to safety during the hunt. The moonlit riverside scene was a vehicle for Wright's sustained engagement with nocturnal landscape, the earthstopper and his dog rendered in the warm glow of a lantern against the cold moonlit river and sky. The subject is characteristically Derbyshire: the specific landscape, the specific local occupation, the specific quality of the river's moonlit surface all reflect Wright's intimate knowledge of his home region.

Wright renders the moonlit river scene with his characteristic luminosity, balancing cool moonlight against the warm glow of the earthstopper's lantern. The careful observation of nocturnal atmosphere demonstrates his mastery of night painting.