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Title: The Life and Works of Joseph Wright, A.R.A, commonly called "Wright of Derby"
Author: Bemrose, William
Language: English
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WRIGHT, A.R.A, COMMONLY CALLED "WRIGHT OF DERBY" ***
THE LIFE AND WORKS
OF
JOSEPH WRIGHT, A.R.A.,
COMMONLY CALLED
“WRIGHT OF DERBY.”
_No._ 292
[Illustration: signature]
[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF JOSEPH WRIGHT.
_Original picture in the possession of the Hon. Mrs. Griffiths._
_The Vignette of Joseph Wright on the Title Page is reproduced from
the Original Picture in the National Portrait Gallery._]
THE
LIFE AND WORKS
OF
JOSEPH WRIGHT, A.R.A.,
COMMONLY CALLED
“WRIGHT OF DERBY.”
[Illustration]
BY WILLIAM BEMROSE,
AUTHOR OF “A MANUAL OF WOOD CARVING,” ETC.
WITH A PREFACE BY COSMO MONKHOUSE.
_ILLUSTRATED WITH TWO ETCHINGS BY MR. F. SEYMOUR HADEN, AND OTHER
PLATES AND WOODCUTS._
London:
BEMROSE & SONS, 23, OLD BAILEY;
AND DERBY.
1885.
PREFACE.
The name of Joseph Wright, of Derby, once of high repute among English
Artists, has, during the last half-century and more, sunk, altogether
undeservedly, into a state of semi-oblivion. The Exhibition at Derby
in 1883 did, indeed, something to restore its fame, and it is to be
hoped that the present work may do yet more. Both book and exhibition
owe their existence mainly to the exertions of Mr. Bemrose, who in this
matter may be said to have been moved by a triple love--the love of
art, the love of family, and the love of locality. By his kindness I
am allowed here to aid in doing justice to an artist of whom not only
Derby, but England, should be proud.
Even if such a feat were possible, I should have no wish to compare
accurately the merits of Wright with those of his forerunners and
contemporaries. It will, however, be generally acknowledged that
between such names as Hogarth, Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Wilson, and
such as West, Northcote, Barry, and Hamilton, there is a gap--sensibly
to be felt. In this gap, but nearer to the greater than to the lesser
men, a place has of late years been found for Romney. It is but a
modest claim for Wright that the same distinction should be accorded to
him.
As a painter, his method, in relation to that of Reynolds and
Gainsborough, may be said to have been old-fashioned. His pure, precise
touches, his level surface, and clear enamelled colours, have not,
indeed, the variety of texture or the inspired freedom of a Franz
Hals. His practice was nearer to that of Van der Helst, and a host of
other illustrious artists to whom clear, clean, work was dear. Through
Kneller, and Hogarth, and Hudson, it came to him from Holland; and if
he did not reform it, he mastered it, and left his mark upon it. As a
colourist, he was scarcely an innovator; but he was still less of a
copyist. In this and most other respects a “naturalist,” he did not
allow a preference for certain harmonies to dominate his work; but
though his colour missed the charm of inspiration, it never failed in
harmony. He had the colour sense, and a command of the whole scale.
In his candle-light pieces the prevailing hues were determined by his
subject; but the way in which he united the blazing reds and yellows
of the central glare to the rich browns of his transparent shadows,
warmed and cooled these shadows with gleams of red coat and glimmers
of blue sash and white dress, and from the ruddy glow of the chamber
to the cool night outside, led the eye, untired, showed rare taste,
as well as skill. If we take his portraits by ordinary light, we find
the same fine power. The group of Mr. Newton’s children, with its blue
boy, its olive-green boy, and its girl in white and gold, set off with
rich green foliage and clusters of ripe cherries, is a masterpiece
of colour. In these daylight portraits, all the favourite colours
of the dress of the period are introduced and reconciled. The hues
and textures of the buff waistcoat, the “nankeen” breeches, the puce
slip, the cinnamon coat, and the pink shoes, are imitated with the
same sure skill, the same artistic impartiality. Only in regard to one
colour do we find a decided preference, and this is neither the blue
of Gainsborough nor the red of Reynolds, but what may be called the
green of Wright. Probably no other artist has treated this colour with
such variety. It tinges those bladders of which he was so fond; we
find it lightly in the stone-coloured coat of Mr. Cheslyn, and deeply
in the arm of his chair; in pale cucumber the artist robed his pitiful
“Maria”; and from that fine picture of himself in the National Portrait
Gallery we learn that it was green that he elected to wear in his youth
when he wished to look particularly spruce.
Of his effects of artificial light there is the less need to speak,
since what reputation he now preserves is founded upon them. The
engravings after Wright by Earlom, J. R. Smith, Val. Green, Pether,
and others, are still sought after, and the “Air Pump” is in the
National Gallery for all who wish to see. It may, however, be doubted
whether due recognition has, as yet, been given to the largeness of
design and the dignified simplicity of pose and gesture which lend an
almost classic style to such pictures as “The Orrery,” “The Air Pump,”
and “The Gladiator.” The Exhibition of 1883, while it confirmed
the reputation of such pictures, showed also that his rank as a
portrait painter was much higher than was supposed. In this branch of
art we find him submitting himself to his subject, and seeking rather
to express than to adorn it. He brings you, as few artists do, into
the presence of his sitters. As if alone and at ease, unconscious of
observation, they, whether men, women, or children, are all engaged
with their own thoughts and employments, just as they might have been
seen any day in library or garden. Many men of celebrity, not only
local, he painted--Arkwright and Whitehurst, Darwin and Strutt; but
the charm of his portraits does not depend on the fame of the sitter,
but on the power of the artist to seize a distinct individuality,
and to make each likeness for ever interesting as an authentic image
of a fellow-man. Unsophisticated by fashion or affectation, Wright’s
portraits are history in its simplest and truest form.
Of the pure charm of his children, some of the illustrations to this
volume, especially Mr. Seymour Haden’s painter-like etching of the
“Twins,” will speak. Sir Joshua painted children with more spirit and
with a livelier eye for fleeting charms of expression; but no artist
has painted them more freshly and truly than Wright. Another admirably
suggestive etching by Mr. Haden shows us the elegance of mien and
grace of sentiment which he could infuse into his more poetical
designs. His versatility was remarkable; but his culture, partly,
perhaps, on account of his secluded life, partly from his ill-health,
left many of his faculties undeveloped, and his imagination was crossed
by a vein of ingenuity which made him delight rather in resolving
problems than in indulging fancy. Nevertheless, the “Minstrel” and the
“Maria” are as good reflections as exist of that somewhat thin but
elegant strain of poetic sentiment which was in vogue in his day. He
has in these pictures preserved its gentleness and grace without its
falseness. A deeper note of pathos (and pathos unstrained) is touched
in the once famous “Dead Soldier.” In his “Death and the Woodman” we
find extreme terror depicted with all the force of the most modern
realist; and if he did not--(who did?)--prove himself equal to the
interpretation of Shakespeare, there is in Boydell’s Gallery no finer
head than that of his “Prospero.”
It will seem strange to many that Wright should in his day have ranked
even higher as a landscape painter than as a painter of men, but his
fireworks and conflagration effects were a novelty, and were executed
with a skill which must have then seemed astonishing. Now, perhaps,
even if they were done with the superior genius of a Turner, we should
not care overmuch for them. His more ordinary scenes from nature were
sometimes almost as good as Wilson’s, but generally wanted the warmth
and the air of that fine artist, and his composition was apt to be too
palpably ingenious.
Nevertheless, all abatement made, he was an original and able landscape
painter, and when we add this to his other claims, and remember how
thoroughly sincere his art was, how distinct his personality, it seems
hard that the latest History of English Art should not even mention
his name. True, it was written by a foreigner; and it is probable that
if M. Chesneau had visited Derby two years ago he would have awarded
Wright an honourable place among those artists whom he calls the Old
Masters of England.
COSMO MONKHOUSE.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
THE FAMILY OF WRIGHT 1
CHAPTER II.
EARLY LIFE.--MECHANICAL PURSUITS.--ASPIRATIONS AFTER ART.--LOVE
OF MUSIC AND SOCIETY.--STUDIES UNDER HUDSON.--RETURNS TO
DERBY.--AGAIN STUDIES UNDER HUDSON 6
CHAPTER III.
CANDLE-LIGHT SUBJECTS.--“THE GLADIATOR” PICTURE.--COMMENCES TO
PAINT LANDSCAPES IN 1772.--LIST OF PICTURES EXHIBITED AT THE
SOCIETY OF ARTISTS’ ROOMS.--LIST OF PICTURES EXHIBITED AT THE
ROYAL ACADEMY.--WRIGHT HOLDS AN EXHIBITION IN 1785, OF HIS OWN
WORKS, IN LONDON.--HIS GENEROSITY IN GIVING PICTURES TO HIS
FRIENDS.--IS A PIONEER IN WATER-COLOUR PAINTING 11
CHAPTER IV.
WRIGHT MARRIES AND VISITS ITALY.--LETTERS.--EXTRACTS FROM
DIARY.--BIRTH OF HIS DAUGHTER, ANNA ROMANA, IN ROME.--INFLUENCE
OF THE OLD MASTERS 27
CHAPTER V.
THE BISHOP AND THE PAINTER.--SETTLES AT BATH.--LETTER TO HIS
SISTER “NANCY.”--PRICES OF PORTRAITS.--WRIGHT’S METHOD OF
MAKING UP HIS PALETTE.--RETURNS TO DERBY.--LODGES WITH THE
ELEYS.--REMOVES TO ST. HELEN’S.--WILSON AND WRIGHT.--ANECDOTES 43
CHAPTER VI.
WRIGHT’S SECESSION FROM THE ROYAL ACADEMY.--J. L. PHILIPS.--THE
MESSRS. REDGRAVE’S CRITICISMS ON THE SECESSION AND UPON WRIGHT’S
WORKS.--HAYLEY’S POEM.--ANTHONY PASQUIN.--LETTERS FROM WRIGHT TO
J. L. PHILIPS.--THE “AIR-PUMP” PICTURE 57
CHAPTER VII.
MENTION OF SOME IMPORTANT PICTURES.--THE CUSTOM HOUSE
AUTHORITIES AND “THE CAPTIVE” PICTURE.--THE “DEAD SOLDIER” AND
HEATH THE ENGRAVER.--“DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOATING BATTERIES OFF
GIBRALTAR.”--“THE ORRERY.”--EARL FERRERS AS A
PATRON.--MORTIMER.--PETER PINDAR.--DR. DARWIN.--ANNA
SEWARD.--WEDGWOOD.--BENTLEY.--“THE ALCHYMIST” PICTURE.--HAYLEY
THE POET.--THOS. A. HAYLEY THE SCULPTOR 69
CHAPTER VIII.
CORRESPONDENCE OF WRIGHT WITH MR. DAULBY AND MR. J. L.
PHILIPS.--THE SHAKESPEARE GALLERY PICTURES.--DISPUTE ABOUT
PRICES 85
CHAPTER IX.
DEATH OF MRS. WRIGHT.--HE REMOVES TO QUEEN STREET, DERBY.--HIS
LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.--MR. J. LEIGH PHILIPS ON THE CHARACTER
OF WRIGHT.--SALE OF HIS PICTURES IN LONDON AND DERBY.--LETTERS
FROM J. HOLLAND AND REV. THOS. GISBORNE 102
APPENDIX.
LIST OF PLATES.
PORTRAIT OF JOSEPH WRIGHT. _Reproduced by Messrs. A. & W.
Dawson’s Positive Etching process_ FRONTISPIECE
TO FACE PAGE
“THE TWINS.” ANN HADEN, AFTERWARDS MRS. BOOT; AND SARAH
HADEN, AFTERWARDS MRS. JAMES OAKES, OF THE RIDDINGS,
DERBYSHIRE.--_Etched by Mr. F. Seymour Haden_ 12
“MARIA.”--_From Sterne’s “Sentimental Journey.” Reproduced
by Messrs. A. & W. Dawson’s Positive Etching process_ 26
CONVERSATION PIECE. THREE CHILDREN OF RICHARD ARKWRIGHT,
ELIZABETH (AFTERWARDS MARRIED TO FRANCIS HURT), JOHN, AND
JOSEPH. _Reproduced by Messrs. A. & W. Dawson’s Positive
Etching process_ 42
JOSEPH AND HARRIET, TWO OF WRIGHT’S CHILDREN 56
“EDWIN.” MR. THOMAS HADEN, OF DERBY, SAT FOR THIS
PICTURE.--_From Dr. Beattie’s “Minstrel.” Etched by Mr. F.
Seymour Haden_ 68
CONVERSATION PIECE. THREE CHILDREN, RICHARD, ROBERT, AND
PETER (SONS OF RICHARD ARKWRIGHT). _Reproduced by Messrs.
A. & W. Dawson’s Positive Etching process_ 84
CHAPTER I.
THE FAMILY OF WRIGHT.
Joseph Wright, like his famous contemporaries, Reynolds and Wilson,
belonged to the great middle-class, as may be seen from the pedigree
appended to this chapter. Wright could reckon amongst his progenitors
men of some consideration in the three professions of Law, Physic,
and Divinity. The family appears to have settled at Seighford, Co.
Stafford, in 1662, and from thence to have migrated, about the year
1673, to Longford in Derbyshire. The earliest ancestor of Wright whom
I have been able to trace is the great-grandfather of the painter, and
I am indebted to the Rev. J. Charles Cox, LL.D., the present Rector
of Enville, Stourbridge, for the following interesting information
respecting him.
On February 17th, 1662, in the Rectory House of S. Andrew, Holborn,
Bishop Hacket (of Coventry and Lichfield) instituted “Johannes Wright,
clericus,” into the vicarage of Seighford, Staff., vacant through death
of last incumbent, on presentation of the King.[1]
On the 5th of the same month, at an ordination held in the Parish
Church of S. Andrew, Holborn, by the same Bishop Hacket, “Johēs Wright,
e Colleg, Dublin, in Regno Hiberiæ,” was ordained priest.
On September 12th, 1671, Bishop Wood instituted Jno. Nash to the
vicarage of Seighford, on the resignation of John Wright.
On leaving Seighford, the Rev. John Wright became Rector of Longford,
Co. Derby, where he died in 1681. His death is thus recorded in the
Parish Register, “1681. John Wright, rector of Longford, an orthodox
and worthy son. Buried January 10th.”
This exemplary clergyman left a widow and eight children. The maiden
name of the former I have not been able to discover, but her Christian
name was Elizabeth, and those of his surviving children (he had lost
one, Sarah, during her childhood) are written on the back of the
inventory of his goods, thus--
Richard.
John.
Thomas.
Jonathan.
Matthewe.
Elizabeth.
Mary.
Bridget.
Letters of Administration were taken out on the 28th June, 1682, and
some of the items of the inventory are so interesting as to be worth
transcribing. It is to be remarked, in the first place, that his goods
were valued at the low total sum of £205, and that the largest item was
for “corn, wheat, pease, and oates, £44,” from which, and from other
entries, it may be inferred that he farmed his own glebe. Among the
latter may be quoted--
Hay £25 6 8
2 mares, 1 nagg 18 0 0
2 heifers, 4 calves, 6 cows in calf, 3 bullocks 27 13 4
19 sheep and 4 swine 6 19 4
Of the modest establishment and simple habits of this country parson
of the 17th century this document affords evidence. His “plate” was
estimated at £5 only, and the same sum was considered sufficient to
represent the value of his “purse and apparell,” while the worth of the
whole furniture of his “parlour,” consisting of “15 chairs, 2 tables,
1 carpet,” is set down at £3. That he was studious, as well as simple,
is attested by the comparatively large valuation of the contents of his
“studdy.” These were “one desk and lock, and shelves and books,” which
were assessed at £30 4s.--a sum exceeding the supposed equivalent in
money of the entire furniture of the Rectory. This assertion I must
ask my readers to take upon trust, as the inventory of the contents of
the kitchen, dairy, brewhouse, and five upper chambers is scarcely of
sufficient interest to print _in extenso_.
Of the nine children of the Rev. John Wright, of Seighford and
Longford, some information is given in the pedigree; but here we need
concern ourselves only with his sons, Richard and John, from whom
sprang two distinct branches of the family. It is from John that the
subject of our biography is descended, but Richard claims precedence by
right of seniority.
Of this eldest son, Richard, little is known, except that he was born
at Loaden Hall, (or Leadenhall), Pentridge, Staffordshire, in 1662,
and that he was the father of Richard Wright, M.D., of Derby. This,
the second Richard of this branch, was born in 1702, and was twice
married--firstly, to Dorothy Gell, of Wirksworth, who died childless;
and, secondly, to Frances Wilcockson, of the same place, by whom he
had issue one son and two daughters. One of the daughters, Elizabeth,
died unmarried in 1766, and Mary, the other, became the wife of Captain
John Wilson, R.N., of Tamworth, and died in 1805. The son was named
Richard, after his father, and followed the same profession. The third
Richard in this branch was, like Joseph Wright the painter, the great
grandson of the Rector of Longford, and must not be confounded with
another Dr. Richard Wright, his second cousin, and brother of the
artist. For the sake of distinction he may be called Dr. Richard Wright
of London, where he settled and became distinguished. He was one of the
physicians to S. George’s Hospital, and being a man of high scientific
attainments, and a scholar of some eminence, he was elected a Fellow
of the Royal Society. He married Caroline, only surviving daughter of
Sir James Gray, by whom he had no issue. He collected one of the first
Libraries of his time, which, after his death, was sold by Messrs. T.
and J. Egerton, on Monday, April 23rd, 1787, and eleven following days.
This Library (which numbered 2,824 lots at the sale) consisted of an
elegant and extensive collection of books in every branch of learning;
it was particularly rich in works on History, Physic, Criticism, and
Divinity, and in Greek and Latin Classics. It also included many of the
scarcest editions of the old English Poets, novels, and romances, and a
remarkably singular assemblage of Theatrical literature, including the
rarest productions of the English drama. The dramatic works occupied
two days of the sale, and amongst other rarities were copies of the
first, second, third, and fourth editions of Shakespeare’s works. The
catalogue, a demy 8vo. of 102 pp., forms a good text book for the book
buyer of to-day. Dr. Wright died at his house, in Charles Street,
Grosvenor Square, London, on Saturday the 14th day of October, 1786.
His remains were brought to Derby, and interred in the family vault at
S. Michael’s Church.
It is now time to turn to the younger branch of the family to which our
artist belonged.
John, the second son of the Vicar of Seighford, and Rector of Longford,
was born at the former place in the year 1664. He became an attorney,
and established a reputation for integrity which descended to his son.
There is still in the possession of the family a letter, addressed to
him by “the great Lord Chesterfield,” dated April 13, 1704, in which
his Lordship says, “I am much satisfied to find that Mr. Thacker and my
daughter Wotton have employed in their affairs a character from whom
everybody may expect fair dealing.”
He married Anne Daykene in 1649, and had issue Jane, John, and
Elizabeth. John, the second, was born Jan. 16, 1697, and, like his
father, became an attorney of good repute. From his upright conduct
upon all occasions, he was known by the flattering name of “Equity
Wright.” It is said that when applied to respecting any case which
he thought only required explanation, it was his wont to reconcile
the parties as a friend, without making fee or charge. An attorney of
Derby, speaking of “Equity Wright,” some years after his death, said,
“he might have died very rich, had he acted like the generality of
his profession.” There can be no doubt that he was a thoroughly good
lawyer, for on more than one occasion, when he waited on the celebrated
Sir Eardley Wilmot, of Osmaston, for an opinion, Sir Eardley said to
him, “You are come to throw away a guinea with me, Mr. Wright, for you
know the law as well as I do.” He filled the office of Town Clerk of
Derby, from 1756 to 1765.
The sisters of “Equity Wright” died unmarried, but he, on September
26, 1728, took to wife a lady named Hannah Brookes, by whom he had
issue three sons and two daughters. John, the eldest, and third of this
name, was born August 29, 1729, and, like his father and grandfather,
became an attorney. He died March 22, 1798. Richard Wright, M.D., the
second son, already mentioned in the account of the elder branch of the
family, was born November 17, 1730, and attained some eminence as a
Physician in his native town, Derby. An old MS. has the following lines
relating to this Richard--
“Cease, wonders, cease, from this or that,
Since Dr. Wright has changed his hat;
Corners three and wig profound,
He now salutes his friends all round.”
He married Sarah Wallis, of Derby, by whom he had two daughters, Hannah
and Anne. The latter married James Holworthy, an eminent artist, a
member of the old Society of Painters in Colours, and an intimate
friend of the late J. M. W. Turner, R.A. Mr. Holworthy purchased the
Brookfield Estate near Hathersage, and built Brookfield House. Hannah
died May 13, 1867, unmarried.
[Illustration: BIRTH-PLACE OF “WRIGHT OF DERBY.”]
Joseph, the third son of “Equity Wright,” is the subject of this
biography. His sisters, Hannah, the third child, and Anne Elizabeth, or
“Nancy,” the youngest of the family, died unmarried in the years 1810
and 1815, respectively.
Joseph Wright, the painter, commonly called Wright of Derby, to
distinguish him from another painter of the same surname,[3] was born
at Derby on the 3rd of September, 1734, in the house No. 28, Irongate,
and was educated at the Grammar School of that town, under the Rev. Mr.
Almond.
PEDIGREE
OF
THE FAMILY OF WRIGHT, OF DERBYSHIRE AND STAFFORDSHIRE, &c., &c.
COMPILED FROM PARISH REGISTERS, FAMILY PAPERS, &C.
[Illustration: ARMS.--_Gules_, on a chevron engrailed,
_argent_, between three unicorns’-heads of the second, three
spear-heads, _azure_.
CREST.--An Agnus Dei, _argent_, bearing a banner, charged with
a cross, _gules_.]
1661.
(Rev.) John Wright, ordained Feb. = Elizabeth.
5, 1662; Vicar of Seighford (or |
Syford), 1662; Rector of Longford, |
1671; bur. Jan. 10, 1681, at |
Longford (nr. Derby). |
|
+--------------+----------------+-----+-----------+-+-+-------+-+-+
| | 1694. | | | | | | |
Richard = John = Anne Thomas = Jonathan Mary
Wright, | Wright, | Dakeyne, Wright, b. | Wright, b. Wright, b.
born Feb. | Attorney, | born 1658, Jan. 7, | Aug. 24, Sep. 5,
9, 1662, at | born Jan. | died at 1666, at | 1668, at 1673, at
Loadenhall, | 5, 1664, at| Parwich, Syford. | Syford. Longford,
in the | Syford, | bur. S. | Derbyshire.
Parish of | Stafford- | Alkmund’s, | Matt.
Pentridge, | shire, d. | May 18, | Wright, b. Bridget
Stafford- | Sept. 16, | 1745. | Sept. 25, Wright, b.
shire. | 1725, bur. | +------------+ 1669, at Nov. 21,
| at S. | |Oct. 18, 1731. Syford. 1675, at
| Alkmund’s, | Thomas = Mary Allin. Longford.
| Sept. 18th.| Wright, Elizabeth
| | born 1705, Wright, b. Sarah
| | made a Jan. 26, Wright, b.
| | Deacon, 1671, at Mar. 21,
| | Sept. 19, Syford. 1677, at
| | 1731. Longford.
| |
+-----+ +-------------------------------------------------+
July 10, 1728.| |
Dorothy Gell, = Richard Wright, M.D., born = Frances Wilcockson, of |
of Wirksworth.|1702, at Derby, died Dec. 1,|Wirksworth, born 1711, died |
|1770, bur. at S. Michael’s, |May 6, 1772, bur. S. |
| Derby, Dec. 5. |Michael’s, Derby, May 9. |
No Issue. | |
+------------------------------+--------+-----+ |
| | | |
Richard Wright, = Caroline Elizabeth Mary Wright, = Capt. John |
M.D., F.R.S., of |Gray, only Wright, born b. May 3, | Wilson, R.N., |
Hanover Square, |surviving Feb. 22, 1743, bap. S.| of Tamworth, |
London, born at |dau. of the 1740, bap. at Michael’s, | born |
Derby, 1739, bap.|late Sir S. Michael’s, May 4, 1743, | died Sep. 1st,|
at S. Michael’s, |James Gray. Feb. 25, d. Apr. 9, | 1795, |
Nov. 28, 1739, | 1740, died 1805. | Lieut. under |
died Oct. 14, | Jan. 4, 1766. | Lord Howe |
1786, bur. at S. | +---------------+ when he was a |
Michael’s, Derby.| | Captain. |
| Frances Wilson, |
No Issue. born Sept. 9. 1777, |
at Tamworth, died |
Dec. 15, 1799. |
|
+---------------------+----------------------------------+---------------+
| | Sept. 26, 1728. |
Jane Wright, born John Wright, = Hannah Brookes, Elizabeth Wright,
Jan. 3, 1695, in Attorney-at-Law, | born 1700, born Apr. 24,
S. Alkmund’s Derby (“Equity | died Nov. 20, May 5, 1703,
Parish, bur. S. Wright,”) born Jan. | 1764, bur. at bap. S. Alkmund’s,
Alkmund’s, Sept. 16, 1697, died Nov. | Alkmund’s, 1703.
16, 1741. 1, 1767, bur. S. | Nov. 24.
Alkmund’s, Nov. 6; |
Town Clerk of Derby,|
from 1756 to 1765. |
|
+------------------------+----------+------------------------+---------+
| |Nov. 19, 1774, at S. Alkmund’s. | |
John Wright, = Anne. Richard = Sarah Wallis, [2]Hannah |
Jun., | Wright, M.D., | born Wright, born |
Attorney-at-Law,| born Nov. 8, | died March 2, Sept. 24, 1732, |
born Aug. 29, | 1730, died Feb. | 1820, bur. at bap. S. |
1729, bap. same | 2, 1814, bur. | S. Alkmund’s, Michael’s, Oct. |
day at All | at S. Alkmund’s,| March 9. 18, 1732, died |
Saints’, died | Feb. 9. | Nov. 6, 1810, |
March 22, 1798. | | bur. at S. |
| | Alkmund’s. |
| | |
| +---------------------------------+|
+-------------++---------+------------+------------+---------+ ||
| | | | | | ||
Hannah Anne John Elizabeth Richard Jane Hannah Anne ||
Wright, Wright, Wright, Wright, Wright, Wright, born ||
bap. S. bap. same born 1755, born June born Sep. 1759, bap. ||
Alkmund’s, time, at S. bap. Nov. 3, 1757, 19, 1758, Oct. 8, 1759, ||
Ap. 14, Alkmund’s, 9, 1753, bap. July bap. S. bur. All ||
1754, bur. April 14, died Apr. 7, 1757, Alkmund’s, Saints’, Feb. ||
at S. 1754, bur. 29, 1775, died Aug. Oct. 19, 15, 1769. ||
Alkmund’s, All bur. S. 18, 1789, 1758. ||
Aug. 14, Saints’, Alkmund’s. bur. S. ||
1759. Jan. 27, Alkmund’s, ||
1790. Aug. 21. ||
||
All died young, unmarried. ||
||
+----------------------+------------------------------------------+|
| | 15 Oct. 1821, at Hastings. |
Hannah Wright, of Anne Wright, born = James Holworthy, |
Brookfield, born Aug. Aug. 14, 1777, bap. S.|J.P., Artist, born Ap. |
29, 1775, bap. S. Michael’s, Aug. 15, |10, 1781, died June |
Michael’s same day, 1777, died Nov. 28, | 10, 1841, bur. at |
died May 13, 1867, 1842, at Brookfield, |Kensall Green, London, |
buried at Hathersage, bur. at S. Alkmund’s, |June 19. |
May 21, aged 93 years. Dec. 6. | |
No Issue. |
|
+---------------------------------------------+---------------------+
| July 28, 1773. |
JOSEPH WRIGHT, = Hannah or Anne Swift, Anne Eliz^{th} Wright,
“Painter,” born Sep. 3, | born “Nancy,” born April 6,
1734, bap. S. Michael’s,| 1749, died 1739, bap. S.
Sep. 5, 1734, died Aug. | Aug. 17, 1790, bur. at Michael’s, Apr. 7,
29, 1797, bur. at S. | S. Alkmund’s, Aug. 21. 1739, died May 8, 1813,
Alkmund’s, Sep. 1. | bur. at S.Alkmund’s,
| May 14, 1815.
Whithead = Miss Antill. +--------------------------------------------------+
| |
+------+ |
| |
Miss Whithead. = Rev. John Cade, Vicar = Mary Osborne. |
|of Spondon, Derbyshire.| |
| | |
| +----+ |
| | |
| John Cade, died at Derby, 18?? |
| |
+-----------+--+ +----------------+--------------+----------+
| |Ap. 20, 1795.| | | |
Mary Cade, James Cade, = Anna Romana Joseph Wright, Harriet |
died in Surgeon, of |Wright, born born July 14, Wright, |
infancy. Spondon, born|June 24, 1774, 1776, bap. S. born May 12, |
1772, died |at Rome, bap. Michael’s, 1778, died |
Jan. 15, |at S. Michael’s, July 14, 1776, July 8, 1860,|
1840, bur. at|Sep. 26, 1775, bur. at in Australia |
Spondon, Jan.|died Aug. 12, S. Alkmund’s, (River |
22. |1837, bur. at Dec. 5, 1778. Plenty). |
|Spondon, |
|August 18, |
|1837. |
| |
| |
Issue. |
|
+-------------+---------------------------------+-----------------------+
| | | Oct. 2, 1823,
| | Feb. 15, 1803. | S. John’s, N.B.
John Wright, Maria Wright, = Graham Joseph = Anne Crosby
born Feb. 8, born June 2, |Chappell, born Wright, Rev.,| Wiggins, of
1781, bap. 1783, bap. |about 1773, a Missionary,| New Brunswick
Mar. 29, 1781, June 5, 1783, |bap. born Nov. 1, | (S. John’s).
died Mar. 22, at S. |died 1786, bap. |
1798, aged 17, Alkmund’s, |bur. at Nov. 2, 1786,|
bur. at S. died Sep. 6th,|Spondon, April died 1830, at|
Alkmund’s, bur. Sep. 11, |29, 1834. Hamilton, |
March 27. 1819, at | Bermuda, bur.|
Arnold Church,| January 3. |
Notts. | |
Issue. Issue.
Perhaps the ordinary affix to Wright’s name has to some extent
interfered with his reputation, but the localisation of his fame is
also due to the fact that a great number of his paintings have always
remained in his native county, and in the possession of the families
for which they were painted.
He was truly “Wright _of Derby_.” For there he was born and educated,
and with the exception of three and a half years under Hudson, in
London, two years in Italy, and a similar period at Bath, we find
him located at Derby throughout his life. He was, however, well
patronised--perhaps, with the exception of Sir Joshua Reynolds, as much
so as any of his contemporaries, for seldom, if ever, did a painting
of his go into the hands of a dealer, or remain unsold. Respected
and honoured by his townsmen, and enjoying the close intimacy and
friendship of men eminent by their position and distinguished by their
talents in literature and art, he passed his days in the midst of those
he loved, industriously labouring at his profession, although at times
suffering from long periods of nervous depression until his death in
1797.
Wright’s friend and pupil, Mr. Jno. Moss Tate, of Liverpool, told
a gentleman who called upon him early in this century to see some
paintings by Wright in his possession, that “he was always pleased to
see a Derbyshire man, for that county had produced three most eminent
men in the sister arts--Chantrey, the sculptor, Wright, the painter,
and John Harrison, the singer.”
It is seldom that a better opportunity is found of obtaining a clear
insight into the working and every-day life of an artist, than that
afforded by the material collected for the present volume. This
consists principally of letters written, and memoranda made, long years
ago, and numerous notes by the artist himself. Most of the last are
contained in a book in which he carefully recorded the pictures he
painted, the prices he obtained for them, and the names of his patrons;
in it he was also wont to jot down memoranda (now full of interest)
relating to his family and private concerns. Personal and other relics,
religiously preserved by relatives, and handed down to the present day,
have also assisted in bringing before the writer a vivid picture of the
man and his doings.
CHAPTER II.
EARLY LIFE.--MECHANICAL PURSUITS.--ASPIRATIONS AFTER ART.--LOVE
OF MUSIC AND SOCIETY.--STUDIES UNDER HUDSON.--RETURNS TO
DERBY.--AGAIN STUDIES UNDER HUDSON.
Young Wright early manifested a taste for mechanics. His brother,
Richard, writing to a friend some years afterwards, thus alludes to
his leisure employments. “At an early time in life he showed great
propensity to knowledge in several mechanical branches; and being of
an active mind, would frequently spend his vacant time from school in
going to different shops to see the men work. When he returned home
he would imitate their works, and compleat them in a masterly manner,
such as joiner’s goods, chests of drawers, clocks, spinning wheels,
guns, etc. His genius afterwards turned to drawing and painting; if he
saw a person once he would draw the outlines of his face so strong as
to be known at sight; making great progress in those branches, he was
determined to pursue those studies for his profession; accordingly his
father, an Attorney-at-Law, enquired of his agents in London, who were
the most eminent masters, and upon enquiry he was recommended to Mr.
Hudson.”
Having seen a “raree show” at a fair, he considered attentively upon
what principle it could be formed, and having discovered the manner of
placing the glasses, completed a show about three feet high; having
done this, Wright went to the showman and told him he had made a show
like his. The man would not at first believe him, but upon enquiring
how he had made it, and finding it was quite correct, he earnestly
begged that the boy would not tell any one by what means he had
effected it. This show, exhibiting some Italian views, was afterwards
the delight of his children and nieces.
When the Scotch army, under Prince Charles Edward, came to Derby, in
December, 1745, the elder Mr. Wright, father of the painter, took his
wife, two daughters, and Joe, as he was generally called, to Repton,
thinking that the rebels could not cross the Trent, as there was no
bridge there at that time. During the preceding July his two eldest
sons, John and Richard, had been placed at Repton School, under the
Rev. Mr. Ashley. Much to the surprise of the Wrights, three officers
and forty men were quartered in their house at Derby. During the
soldiers’ stay they saw a small gun, with which they were so much
struck as to make enquiries respecting it, and upon being told that
it was made by Master Joseph, “they wished they could see the little
gentleman, they would take him with them, for they were sure he must be
an ingenious boy to make that gun.”
At Repton, young Wright saw a “Christmas-Piece” which belonged to one
of the boys. For a long time this piece so engrossed his mind that he
could think of nothing else, and he dwelt upon it until he determined
to try to draw. Thus at eleven years of age he took to art, and
gradually left off his mechanical pursuits. This love for mechanics
showed itself later in life, by the introduction of an air pump and an
orrery into two of his principal pictures. He likewise invented a pair
of proportional compasses. These were made of two strips of wood, with
an opening down the middle of each, placed upon each other and united
by a screw, which, moving up and down, fixed the point of the compasses
at any place that was desired. By this instrument Wright was enabled to
accurately enlarge or diminish any drawing.
His father being averse to his devoting so much time to drawing,
thinking it would never be of use to him, and might withdraw his
attention from more necessary pursuits, young Wright used to draw,
unknown to his friends, in an attic, where he spent much of his spare
time. Having nothing from which to study, he copied the public-house
signs in the town, which at that time exhibited more “pictures” than at
the present day, and it is related of him, that when he had completed
his copy of the sign of “Robin Hood and Little John,” near his father’s
residence, he was highly delighted, as he was likewise when he had
finished the “Buck in the Park.” The “Buck in the Park”--a sign by
which an inn in the town is still known at the present day--means the
arms of the Borough of Derby, which are _azure_, a buck couchant,
enclosed in park-palings, all _proper_. His method was, after looking
long and earnestly at the sign, to go home and draw as much as he could
remember of it. When at a loss, he returned and examined the sign,
and then ran back as rapidly as possible, so that he might not lose
the impression produced on his mind, and thus he continued until the
drawing was finished. His mother, noticing his conduct, and wishing
to know why he spent so much time in the attic spoken of, entered it
and discovered his employment. The boy-artist earnestly begged that
she would not tell his father, and this request, fortunately for the
world, was granted. His predilection for art is well illustrated by a
life-size head of Counsellor Noel, in my possession, drawn upon blue
paper in black and white crayons; on the back, in Wright’s handwriting,
“Jos Wright, fecit September 3rd, 1751, Ætat 17. Counsellor Noell. The
head being unfinished I was obliged to leave it so.” There is little
doubt he was in the habit of attending the Courts of Assize with his
father, who was engaged there professionally, and had amused himself by
sketching the counsellor in his wig, but from some cause had not time
to finish it.
The sketches of his early boyhood show considerable skill and power in
light and shade, and the treatment of drapery, and are thus prophetic
of that command of _chiar-oscuro_ which distinguished the pictures of
his maturity.
His delight in strong lights and shadows was very conspicuous
throughout his life. He could never pass a blacksmith’s shop, or any
striking lights in the streets, without staying to study them; and the
influence of this early passion of his is seen in a large number of his
paintings, where remarkable fire, candle-light, and atmospheric effects
are rendered with singular power and truth.
At length his father, finding his decided turn for painting, determined
upon placing him with the most eminent artist of the time; and in 1751,
when Joseph was seventeen years of age, he, after careful enquiry
amongst his friends in London, placed him with Hudson,[4] the portrait
painter, with whom he remained as a student for two years. Wright,
however, appears to have soon become dissatisfied with the subjects
which Hudson gave him to copy, which, if we may judge from the studies
of this period still existing--stiff, formal portraits in black and
white chalk upon blue paper--was not to be wondered at; amongst them is
a spirited resemblance of himself, and it is thought probable that the
artist, tired of such copying, amused himself by studying from nature.
Young Wright, like most young men, was fond of a frolic, but the effect
of a practical joke which he played at Hudson’s effectually cured him
of these mischievous propensities. It appears that the lay-figure at
Hudson’s was upon low wheels, and having tied a piece of string to it,
which he conveyed under the door, Wright, the next morning, whilst the
servant-maid was cleaning the grate, stationed himself at the door,
which was a little open, to amuse himself with her surprise at seeing
it move. Having waited his opportunity, he gently pulled the string,
and when the girl turned to look, suddenly stopped. She took no further
notice of it until he drew it more decidedly steadily forward. She
then earnestly watched its progress, and at last, being convinced that
it was moving, threw down her brush and rushed out of the room, and
would, in her fright, have precipitated herself over the rails of the
stairs, if he had not caught her. He was so much alarmed when he saw
how greatly she was agitated, and thought what would have been the
probable consequence of such a fall, that he determined never again to
indulge in practical jokes, a resolution which he seems never to have
forgotten. This circumstance made such an impression upon his mind,
that he could not hear with patience of any attempt to frighten people,
as “there was no knowing to what consequences it might lead.”
Upon the expiration of the period for which he had been placed with
Hudson, Wright, at the age of nineteen, returned to Derby, and soon
afterwards painted the portraits of his father and mother, his two
sisters, his brother, and himself. These were probably the first
portraits he painted, as, when they sat to him, he had only--it must
be remembered--been two years at his profession. At this time he also
painted the portraits of many of his friends, and of members of the
principal families in the neighbourhood. Being, however, dissatisfied
with his progress, he returned to London, in 1756, to study under
Hudson for the second time, and remained with him for fifteen months,
often lamenting during that period that he could not obtain better
instruction, there being no master of eminence in England at that time.
Painting was not Wright’s only pursuit. He was a real lover of music,
and was considered by those able to judge to be a first-rate amateur
performer upon the flute, which he was taught by Tacet. Mr. Denby,[5]
the organist at All Saints’ Church, at this time had weekly concerts at
his house, at which Wright played the flute, Burdett (who published a
Map of Derbyshire in 1767) the violoncello, the Rev. Mr. Hope “thorough
bass on the harpsichord,” and the Rev. Mr. Blackwall and Mr. Charles
Denby first and second violins. These were cheerful evenings, and
Wright took a prominent part in the mirth, for, though naturally shy
and retiring, he was of a social and lively disposition. He is said
to have been the life of the party. He also attended the balls and
assemblies[6] in Derby, Newark, Chesterfield, and other places, and
from his handsome person and pleasant manners was a general favourite.
An old inhabitant of Derby, Mr. Haden, used to relate that Wright
once asked him whether he should teach him to draw, or to play on the
flute, and that he foolishly chose the latter. Wright, he said, was
a very pleasant master, who held the agreeable theory that Madeira
was the best medicine for the flute, and never gave him a lesson
without ordering in a bottle of it. Mrs. Cade (Wright’s daughter) has
related that he used to play upon the flute in the evening, after he
had prepared his palette for the next day; and that the Rev. Thomas
Gisborne (who then resided in St. Helen’s House, at the top of Bridge
Gate, and afterwards at Yoxall Lodge, Needwood Forest) was in the habit
of drawing with him in the morning, and playing upon the flute with him
in the evening. She also recollected going with him to Darley Grove,
adjoining St. Helen’s, where he delighted to hear the echoes to his
flute.
After Wright’s death, there was found a large box containing music for
the flute, written very neatly by himself, which at last came to the
ignominious fate of being used by the servants for lighting the fires.
An early memorandum of Wright’s states:--“My Father paid Sandys the
colourman for me Mch 1759, £15. 17. 0. In March 1762 paid ditto £20.
14. 0. Lent me a guinea to send W^{ri.} Paid for cloth for shirts when
I was in London £4. 4. 0. For a German Flute £3. 3. 0.”
Having soon attained some local celebrity, Wright was allowed a room
at the Town Hall when he wished to exhibit his pictures, and could
not show them to advantage at his father’s. It was in this room that
he painted the portraits of the members of the Derby Hunt, which now
hang in Markeaton Hall, where they were placed by Francis Noel Clarke
Mundy, the poet. This gentleman, from an elegy written by him in 1765,
appears to have been “The life, the leader of the hunter train,” and
in Wright’s MS. book occurs the following memorandum in connection
with a portrait of one of the Mundy family: “The letter in Mr. Mundy’s
picture to be dated from Amberley, in Sussex. It must conclude with
‘your friend Harry Deckham,’ not Henry. The case upon the letter table,
directed to Francis Mundy, Esq., at Markeaton, near Derby.” Amongst
the portraits known to have been exhibited at the Town Hall may be
mentioned that of “Old John,” head waiter at the King’s Head Inn, which
was raffled for ten guineas, and won by Danl. Parker Coke, Esq. This
picture, which represents “Old John,” with roses in the button-hole
of his coat, and a smiling and intelligent face under his wig, is now
in the possession of Lord Belper. Another local character similarly
distinguished, was Thomas Oliver, beadle at All Saints’ Church,
whose attentive attitude, whilst Mr. Winter or his curate, Mr. Hope,
preached, had caught the artist’s eye. The interest thus excited led
the artist to obtain a sitting from the beadle, and the picture which
resulted was exhibited at the Town Hall. Wright made a crayon drawing
of this portrait, and gave it to Mr. Denby.
[Illustration: “THE TWINS.”
ETCHED BY MR. F. SEYMOUR HADEN.
ANN HADEN, AFTERWARDS MRS. BOOT; AND SARAH HADEN, AFTERWARDS MRS.
JAMES OAKES, OF THE RIDDINGS, DERBYSHIRE.
_Original picture in the possession of Mr. James Oakes._
_The Plate of “The Twins” was especially etched for this work, and
presented to the Author by Mr. F. Seymour Haden._]
CHAPTER III.
CANDLE-LIGHT SUBJECTS.--“THE GLADIATOR”
PICTURE.--COMMENCES TO PAINT LANDSCAPES IN 1772.--LIST OF
PICTURES EXHIBITED AT THE SOCIETY OF ARTISTS’ ROOMS.--LIST
OF PICTURES EXHIBITED AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY.--WRIGHT HOLDS AN
EXHIBITION IN 1785, OF HIS OWN WORKS, IN LONDON.--WRIGHT’S
GENEROSITY IN GIVING PICTURES TO HIS FRIENDS.--WRIGHT, A
PIONEER IN WATER-COLOUR PAINTING.
It is interesting to note in the life of an artist who showed such
varied talents, at what periods he entered on the different walks of
art, which he trod with such success. We know that Wright painted
portraits only whilst under Hudson’s tuition; and even for several
years after his second period of study under that master, which was
during the year 1756, he seems to have attempted nothing else. We are
also able to all but fix the dates of many of his early candle-light
and historical subjects, because they were exhibited at the rooms of
the Society of Artists.[7] The first of these appeared in 1765, and was
called “Three Persons Viewing the Gladiator[8] by Candle-light.” In the
same way we can fix approximately the date of his first landscape as
1772.
From such records we may also conclude with some certainty that it was
Wright’s own innate genius that impelled him to study those effects of
artificial light with which his name is so strongly associated, for
hitherto no English painter had attempted them, and he did not leave
England till 1773.
His visit to Italy, in 1774-5, where he saw a grand Eruption of
Vesuvius, merely turned his natural predilection for strange effects of
light into a new channel. This eruption may be said to have been the
father of his numerous landscapes of volcanoes and conflagrations. Of
the eruption alone he painted about eighteen pictures, each of which
was treated in a manner differing more or less from the rest. In his
striking pictures of sun and moonlight, which also began about this
time, we see the same love for unusual and powerful effects of light.
From a letter in the possession of Lord Lansdowne, the owner of “The
Gladiator,” which, by the courtesy of his lordship, I am able to
transcribe, we learn that this picture was not sold until the year
1772. In Wright’s MS. book the price named is £40. and Dr. Bates is
entered as the purchaser. This price must be an error, or only a part
payment, as will be seen from the letter, which is from Wright to Dr.
Bates, and was sold with the picture. There is little doubt that this
was the picture mentioned in the letter, although it is not referred to
by name.
“Derby, 12th September, 1772.
“DEAR SIR,
“Last night I received a letter from our friend Burdett,
whereby I understood you consent to give me £130 for the
picture. I must let it go at that price, as I am under a
necessity of immediately raising £1,200 on a mortgage, and
have only £1,000 by me, it was on this account I offered it to
you at 125 guineas. I shall say no more on the subject, only
desire for my interest, you will never mention what you gave
for it, as it might much injure me in the future sale of my
pictures, and when I send you a receipt for the money I shall
acknowledge a greater sum.
“I wish it may be convenient for you to remit me the money
immediately, as Michaelmas is the time fixed for the payment
of the money, and though I have lent more money than I now
want, upon the person’s bare note, and without interest,
I know not a man that would lend me a hundred pounds
without high interest and good security. You see how I am
circumstanced, and have no doubt but you’ll immediately assist
me with the money if you can. I think myself much obliged to
you for offering me the assistance any of your pictures can
give me.
“I am, with compliments to Mrs. Bates, though not known,
“Dear sir,
“Your affectionate friend,
“JO. WRIGHT.”
Upon examining the following list of his pictures exhibited at the
Rooms of the Society of Artists, it will be noticed that for ten years,
from 1765 to 1775, only one landscape is mentioned; but on his return
from Italy, in 1776, he exhibited his first picture of Vesuvius, and
from this date he evidently paid much more attention to landscape, and
almost ceased to paint candle-light effects, which, up to that date,
had, with portraiture, almost entirely engrossed his pencil.
Whilst in Italy he made many landscape sketches from nature, which
supplied him on his return to England with the greater part of the
material for the landscapes he produced from 1775 to within a few
years of his death, although these were interspersed with scenes from
Scotland, Derbyshire, and the Lake District.
Wright was at an early period elected a member of the Society of
Artists, to whose exhibitions in the Spring Gardens he contributed
many years, as will be seen from the following lists extracted from
the catalogues. It is to be regretted that at this date it was not
the custom to mention in catalogues the names of the persons whose
portraits were exhibited, and in consequence of the lapse of time, it
is now often impossible to identify them.
PICTURES EXHIBITED BY JOSEPH WRIGHT AT THE EXHIBITIONS OF THE
SOCIETY OF ARTISTS OF GREAT BRITAIN.
1765.
No. 163. Three Persons Viewing the Gladiator by Candle-light.
„ 164. A Conversation Piece.
1766.
„ 195. A Philosopher giving that lecture on the Orrery, in which
a lamp is put in the place of the sun.
„ 196. A Portrait of a Lady, whole length.
„ 197. Head of a Gentleman.
1767.
„ 188. Portrait of a Gentleman, whole length.
„ 189. A Small Candle-light.
„ 190. Ditto, its Companion.
1768.
„ 193. An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump.
„ 194. Two Candle-lights.
1769.
„ 196. A Philosopher by Candle-light.
„ 197. An Academy by Candle-light.
„ 198. A Lady.
„ 199. A Conversation.
1770.
„ 154. Portrait of a Gentleman, Painted by an Artificial Light.
„ 155. A Conversation of Girls.
„ 303. Child with a Dog.
1771.
„ 200. A Lady and Child, whole length.
„ 201. A Blacksmith’s Shop.
„ 202. A Small Ditto, viewed from without.
„ 203. A Small Conversation.
„ 204. Portrait of an Officer.
„ 205. A Young Lady Undressing by Candle-light.
„ 206. An Old Woman Knitting by Candle-light.
„ 209. The Alchymist, in Search of the Philosopher’s Stone,
discovers Phosphorus, and prays for the successful
conclusion of his operation, as was the custom of the
Ancient Chymical Astrologers.
1772.
„ 369. A Portrait of an Officer, small, whole length.
„ 370. A Portrait of an Officer, small, whole length.
„ 371. A Landscape.
„ 372. A Blacksmith’s Shop.
„ 373. An Iron Forge.
„ 417. A Moonlight.
1773.
„ 370. A Captive King.
„ 371. An Iron Forge, viewed from without.
„ 372. An Earth Stopper on the Banks of the Derwent.
1774.
„ 321. The Old Man and Death.
1775.
„ 223. A Smith’s Forge, altered from his first design.
1776.
„ 147. An Eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
„ 148. The Annual Girandola, at the Castle of St. Angelo, at Rome.
1791.
„ 291. Antigonus in the Storm. (From the “Winter’s Tale.”)
„ 220. Romeo[9] and Juliet. The Tomb Scene. “Noise again!
then I’ll be brief.”
N.B.--The above Pictures were exhibited last year in the
Academy; but having been placed in an unfortunate position,
owing (as Mr. Wright supposes) to their having arrived too
late in London, and have since received alterations, he is
desirous they should again meet the public eye.
„ 221. Inside an Italian Stable.
„ 222. Part of the Colosseum.
„ 223. Moonlight, View on the Lake Albano, Italy, Monte Jora in
the distance.
TOTAL, 43 PICTURES.
PICTURES EXHIBITED BY JOSEPH WRIGHT AT THE EXHIBITION OF THE FREE
SOCIETY OF ARTISTS.
1783.
No. 4. Moonlight.
„ 89. Boy Blowing a Bladder.
TOTAL, 2 PICTURES.
In 1777, Wright does not appear to have exhibited at all, but in
the next year he commenced to send pictures to the Royal Academy, a
practice he continued with some interruptions until 1794.
PICTURES EXHIBITED BY JOSEPH WRIGHT AT THE EXHIBITIONS OF THE ROYAL
ACADEMY.
1778.
No. 357. An Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, with the Procession of St.
Januarius’s Head.
„ 358. A Grotto by the Sea-side, in the Kingdom of Naples, with
Banditti; a Sunset.
„ 359. Edwin, from Dr. Beattie’s Minstrel.
„ 360. Sterne’s Captive.
„ 361. The Girandola, a grand firework exhibited at the Castle of
St. Angelo, in Rome.
„ 411. Neptune’s Grotto at Tivoli.
1779.
„ 358. The Girandola, or Grand Firework at the Castle of St.
Angelo, in Rome; Companion to the Vesuvius he painted
last year.
„ 359. Virgil’s Tomb, with the Figure of Scilius Italicus, who
bought an estate enriched with this very tomb. He was
frequent in his visits to this monument of his master.
„ 360. Neptune’s Grotto at Tivoli.
„ 361. Two Boys, whole length.
1780.
„ 158. Eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
„ 203. A Cavern, with the Figure of Julia, banished thither by
her grandfather, Augustus.
1781.
„ 23. A Philosopher by Lamplight.
„ 61. Cavern in the Gulf of Salernum, Sunset.
„ 100. Maria, from Sterne, a companion to the Picture of Edwin,
exhibited three years ago.
„ 112. Cavern in the Gulf of Salernum, Moonlight.
„ 181. Portraits of Three Children.
„ 224. Virgil’s Tomb by Moonlight.
„ 245. Portrait of a Gentleman.
1782.
„ 165. Two Young Gentlemen in the Character of Archers.
„ 231. Old Man’s Head, in the character of an Apostle.
1788.
„ 81. Mæcena’s Villa at Tivoli.
„ 83. Cicero’s Villa, near Salerno.
„ 96. View near Mare Chiare, on the shore of Paussillipo.
„ 98. The Convent of St. Cosimato, near Vicobaro, and Remains of
the Claudian Aqueduct, on the River Arno.
„ 234. View in the Alps, on the side next Italy, in the Duchy of
Milan.
1789.
„ 9. A Moonlight.
„ 26. Cicero’s Villa, an Evening.
„ 67. The Prison of the Capitol.
„ 74. Ruins of the Colloseo, in Rome.
„ 87. A Boy and Girl Engaged with a Bladder.
„ 107. Ruins of the Colloseo, in Rome, with Banditti.
„ 137. View of Cromford, near Matlock.
„ 153. A Girl Blowing a Charcoal Stick.
„ 236. A Dead Soldier, his Wife and Child, vide Langhorne’s Poems.
1790.
„ 1. Romeo and Juliet, Act V., Scene last.
„ 221. Scene from the “Winter’s Tale,” Act iii., latter end of the
sixth scene.
1794.
„ 107. An Eruption of Vesuvius.
„ 232. A Lake at Dunkeld, in Scotland, Evening.
„ 233. A Village on Fire.
TOTAL, 40 PICTURES.
From the foregoing list of Wright’s contributions to Exhibitions of the
Royal Academy, it will be noticed that he did not send any between the
years 1782 and 1788. This abstention was caused by his resentment at
the conduct of the Academy, in consequence of which he refused the full
diploma which the Royal Academy offered to him in 1784.
From the following extract from the _Athenæum_ of January 31st, 1885,
it appears that Wright was not the only artist of distinction who at
that period had to complain of the treatment of the Council of the
Royal Academy.
“In the archives of the Royal Academy is a letter which has special
interest. It is a complaint addressed by Gainsborough to the Council of
the Academy, about the manner in which his most important contribution
to the gathering of 1784 had been treated, being placed in a position,
he says, unbecoming its character as a group of Royal portraits, and
unjust to himself as a R.A. In the end, with several other works
the artist left at the Hanging Committee’s discretion, the picture
was withdrawn, so that the Academy gathering of 1784 comprised no
Gainsborough.
“The artist abandoned the Academy altogether, and during the four
remaining years of his life, he sent no more pictures.”
The doors of the Academy being thus practically closed to Wright, he
determined on another plan for bringing his works under public notice.
In 1785 he opened an exhibition, composed of twenty-five of his own
pictures, at Mr. Robins’s Rooms, Covent Garden, London. This is an
early instance of those exhibitions devoted to the compositions of a
single artist which have of late become so frequent. In the catalogue
of it which we are enabled to reprint, it will be noticed that fifteen
out of the twenty-five works exhibited were not for sale.
A
CATALOGUE
OF
PICTURES,
Painted by J. WRIGHT, of Derby,
And EXHIBITED at
Mr. ROBINS’S Rooms, (late Langford’s) No. 9,
under the _Great Piazza, Covent Garden_.
All have their brilliant moments, when alone
They paint, as if some star propitious shone;
Yet then, e’en then the hand but ill conveys
The bolder grace, that in the fancy plays.
Hence, candid critics, this sad truth confest,
Accept what least is bad, and deem it best;
Lament the soul in error’s thraldom held,
Compare life’s span with art’s extensive field;
Know that ere perfect taste matures the mind,
Or perfect practice to that taste be join’d,
Comes age, comes sickness, comes contracting pain,
And chills the warmth of youth in every vein.
MASON’S Translation of Du Fresnoy’s Poem on Painting,
verse 695, &c.
1785.
Printed by J. BARKER, Russell-Court, Drury-Lane.
A CATALOGUE.
N. B. _Such pictures as are marked with an asterisk (*) are to be
disposed of._
No. I.
The Lady in Milton’s Comus, verse 221.
Was I deceiv’d, or did a sable cloud
Turn forth her silver lining on the night?
I did not err, there does a sable cloud
Turn forth her silver lining on the night,
And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.
No. II. *
A Companion to the preceding picture. The Widow of an Indian
Chief watching the arms of her deceased husband.
This picture is founded on a custom which prevails among some
of the savage tribes in America, where the widow of an eminent
warrior is used to sit the whole day, during the first moon
after his death, under a rude kind of trophy, formed by a
tree lopped and painted; on which the weapons and martial
habiliments of the dead are suspended. She remains in this
situation without shelter, and perseveres in her mournful duty
at the hazard of her own life from the inclemencies of weather.
No. III. *
William and Margaret. From the celebrated ballad in Pierce’s
Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, vol. 3. xvi.
’Twas at the silent solemn hour
When night and morning meet,
In glided Margaret’s grimly ghost,
And stood at William’s feet.
No. IV. *
View of the Cascade of Turni in Italy.
No. V.
Virgil’s Tomb by moonlight.
No. VI.
The Lake of Nemi. A sunset.
No. VII. *
Julia, the daughter of Augustus, and supposed mistress of
Ovid, deploring her exile, by moonlight, in a cavern of the
island to which she was banished.
No. VIII. *
The happy meeting of Hero and Leander, after his swimming
across the Hellespont in a tranquil night.
No. IX. *
A Companion to the preceding picture. The Storm in which
Leander was drowned.
No. X.
A Landscape. Morning.
No. XI.
A Sea Shore. Evening.
No. XII.
Matlock High Tor. Moonlight.
No. XIII.
The Maid of Corinth. From Mr. Hayley’s essay on painting,
verse 126, &c.
O, Love! it was thy glory to impart
Its infant being to this magic art;
Inspir’d by thee, the soft Corinthian maid
Her graceful lover’s sleeping form portray’d;
Her boading heart his near departure knew,
Yet long’d to keep his image in her view;
Pleas’d she beheld the steady shadow fall
By the clear lamp upon the even wall;
The line she trac’d with fond precision true,
And drawing, doated on the form she drew.
No. XIV. *
A Companion to the preceding picture. Penelope unravelling her
web, by lamp-light. From Pope’s Homer, the second book of the
Odyssey, verse 99, &c.
Elusive of the bridal day, she gives
Fond hopes to all, and all with hopes deceives.
Did not the sun thro’ heaven’s wide azure roll’d
For three long years the royal fraud behold,
While she, laborious in delusion, spread
The spacious loom, and mix’d the various thread?
Where, as to life, the wondrous figures rise.
Thus spoke the inventive queen, with artful sighs:
“Tho’ cold in death Ulysses breathes no more,
“Cease yet awhile to urge the bridal hour;
“Cease, till to great Laertes I bequeath
“A talk of grief, his ornaments of death;
“Lest when the Fates his royal ashes claim,
“The Grecian matrons taint my spotless name,
“When he, whom living mighty realms obey’d,
“Shall want in death, a shroud to grace his shade.”
Thus she: at once the generous train complies,
Nor fraud mistrusts in virtue’s fair disguise:
The work she ply’d; but, studious of delay,
By night revers’d the labours of the day;
While thrice the sun his annual journey made,
The conscious lamp the midnight fraud survey’d.
No. XV.
A distant View of Vesuvius from the shore of Posilipo.
No. XVI. *
The Companion, in the gulf of Salerno.
No. XVII. *
A Landscape. Moonlight.
No XVIII.
A View in Dovedale. Morning.
No. XIX.
Ditto, its Companion. Evening.
No. XX.
Portrait of an Artist.
No. XXI. *
Guy de Lusignan in Prison.
No. XXII.
Portraits of three (of Mr. Newton’s) Children.
No. XXIII.
A Wood Scene. Moonlight.
No. XXIV. *
A View of Gibraltar during the destruction of the Spanish
Floating Batteries, on the 13th of September, 1782.
It may be proper to inform the spectator, that the painter’s
original plan was to execute two pictures, as companions to
each other, on this event so glorious to our country. In the
first (which is now exhibited) he has endeavoured to represent
an extensive view of the scenery combined with the action. In
the second (which he hopes to finish hereafter) he proposes
to make the action his principal object, and delineate the
particulars of it more distinctly.
No. XXV.
Portrait of a Gentleman.
F I N I S.
Wright so far forgave the injury he considered the Royal Academy had
inflicted upon him, as to contribute to their exhibitions in the years
1788, 1789, 1790, and 1794; though from the correspondence printed in
Chapter VI., it will be seen that his paintings were not treated with
much consideration.
One characteristic worthy of notice in Wright’s portraiture, is
the life-like and liquid look that pervades the eyes; he was also
particularly happy in his treatment of the hands of his sitters, which
are very different to the misshapen forms that often do duty for hands
in paintings by popular artists.
An exhibition, in which his pictures were an important feature, appears
to have been held in his native town some two years afterwards, for
the _Derby Mercury_, of October 3, 1787, contains the following
advertisement:--
EXHIBITION.
From the numerous and genteel company who have visited this
_Exhibition_, the Inventor will continue the same
FOR ONE WEEK LONGER,
And to the effects already shown will add various others
FROM SOME OF THE
JUSTLY MUCH ADMIRED PAINTINGS OF
MR. WRIGHT, OF DERBY,
The effects of which beggar all description, and for
which purpose
Mr. Wright has politely sent the Inventor his Paintings.
It is hoped none will miss the present and only opportunity of
gratifying their curiosity.
Admittance from Ten in the morning till One, and from Four
till Eight in the evening, at Mr. Wood’s, Confectioner, in the
Corn Market, at One Shilling ea.
While, however, Wright appears to have had a proper sense of his own
merits as a painter, and not to have lost sight of the advantages of
keeping them before the public, and though on certain occasions he
held out for his price, he was neither conceited nor ungenerous. Of
his liberality sufficient proof is afforded by his numerous gifts
of valuable pictures to individuals among his private friends, and
to persons to whom he thought himself under obligation. In various
instances, these gifts were manifestly disinterested; and that they
were often, and probably always, conferred in a very pleasing manner,
which declined rather than sought the expression of gratitude, the
following records will sufficiently vouch.
“Mr. Hayley to Mrs. Hayley.
... “As I love to make you a sharer in every pleasing
occurrence of my life, I cannot let a post depart without
dispatching to you an account of a circumstance which has
given me no little delight. Beridge last night committed a
box to my care, declaring it contained something for me, but
requesting that I would not open it till he arrived here
to-day. After spending an agreeable morning at Hampstead, I
met the dear Physician in Cavendish Square; and while I was
dressing, he displayed his skill as a carpenter in opening
the packing-case. When I came from my dressing-room to the
dining-room, he surprised me with an exquisite picture of
Virgil’s Tomb, by Wright, putting into my hand a letter from
that amiable artist, requesting my acceptance of this poetical
scene, and added, that the splendid frame which contained it
was the gift of Dr. Beridge.”
The following is part of a letter written on the margin of a pencil and
wash sketch of St. Peter’s at Rome, with the Bridge and Tower of St.
Angelo, to someone in Derby, in the year 1774, when Wright was at Rome--
“The collour’d drawing I will do for you must be upon a
larger scale, and sent by a friend, as I don’t wish to do
them as letters, but I presume the enclos’d sort as sketches
of observation, or possibly to remove any doubt in regard to
particular objects, as I take them as faithfully as I can, and
shall do the others also. In the meantime I beg you will make
no scruple in mentioning any particular objects that you wish,
as I have justly every reason to have the greatest esteem for
you, and having experienced your sincerity and friendship, I
beg you will mention no more about the prices.”
In the Exhibition of Wright’s works, held in the Art Gallery, at Derby,
in 1883, was the latest portrait[10] of the artist. This picture was
also a gift, and was painted at Yoxall Lodge, the residence of his
intimate friend, the Rev. T. Gisborne, when Wright was there on a
visit. On the back of the picture, in Wright’s handwriting, is the
following:--
“JOSEPHUS WRIGHT,
An. Dom. 1793
Ætat 59
Manu propria
Tabulam hanc
Amico suo T. G.
Dono dedit
Pictor.”
At Ogston Hall another inscription of the same class is to be seen, in
Wright’s handwriting, on the back of a portrait of John Holland, who
was a very intimate friend, viz.:
“John Holland, painted by his friend, Joseph Wright, A.D., 1787.
“‘However odd the phyz pourtrayed,
What artist has a better made.’”
Again, on the back of a landscape, now in the possession of Godfrey
Wedgwood, Esq., is written the following:--
“The gift of Joseph Wright to his friend Jos. Wedgwood, Esq.,
the patron and encourager of living artists, 1787.”
In the Appendix, amongst the list of pictures, will be found many more
instances of such gifts. Thus: “Given to my friend Tate.” “For Mr.
Hayley. Mem. not paid.” etc.
As a Water-colour painter of the English school, Wright must be ranked
as one of the earliest. Whilst he largely used chalk, pencil, and
oils in his sketches, he also used Water-colours in not a few of his
Italian sketches taken in 1774. He evidently little thought then, that
Water-colour painting would advance and take the high position as an
art that it occupies to-day, when he, as a pioneer, made those early
Water-colour sketches; for he, in his correspondence, remarks, “1795.
I am glad to hear my friend, Tate, succeeded so well in Water-colours.
I daresay when the application of them is well understood it is
pleasant work.” “1793. I am sorry I cannot fulfil my engagement with
Mr. Moreland, Mr. Gisborne does not think himself at liberty to divulge
Smith’s mode of washing with Water-colours.”
In 1795 he writes, “I am glad to hear my good friend (Tate) has laid
hold of his brushes again. Paper and camel hair pencils are better
adapted to the amusement of ladies than the pursuit of an artist.”
The Messrs. Redgrave, in their “Century of Painters,” say, “We have
heard of, but not seen, works in this medium by Wright, of Derby.” It
is gratifying to know that there are in existence some interesting
landscape sketches and portraits in Water-colours by Wright, that tend
to show that Wright could use the new medium with great effect and
brilliancy.
[Illustration: “MARIA.”
FROM STERNE’S “SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY.”
_Original picture in the possession of Mr. W. Bemrose._]
CHAPTER IV.
WRIGHT MARRIES AND VISITS ITALY.--LETTERS.--EXTRACTS
FROM DIARY.--BIRTH OF HIS DAUGHTER, ANNA ROMANA, IN
ROME.--INFLUENCE OF THE OLD MASTERS.
In July, 1773, Wright married Miss Ann Swift, and in November set sail
in the “Jupiter” for Italy, with his wife and Mr. Hurleston.[11]
Before leaving England he wrote the following letter to his brother,
Richard Wright:--
“1773.
“Dear Brother,
“By the waggon yesterday I sent you in a box four pillar
Candlesticks called Tooth & Egg, to be cleaned as silver.
They _are_ what they _seem_ to be, w^{ch} if I mistake not
your temper, will be more pleasing to you than a refined
outside, with a Base inside. They are such at least as best
suit my Taste & pocket, & I sincerely hope you’ll receive
them as a pledge of the Love I bear you. I shall be glad to
hear you have got ’em safe. Thursday last I got on board the
Jupiter all our Baggage, and a Case with the two pictures of
the Alchymist and Captive King, for so my Friends advised
me. The ship is sailed for Exeter, when she will arrive is
as uncertain as the Winds that blow her. However, I hope the
Cap^{t.} will soon send us a summons to embark. The winter
approaches fast, and will, I fear, blast those Joys I promised
myself at a more agreeable time of the year; however, I
flatter myself _matrimony_ has improved my Constitution, and I
am better able to bear the rude winds than heretofore.
“Last week my Sister Nancy and this family went on board the
‘Jupiter,’ afterwards we were conducted by the Cap^{t.} to
his house, where we dined with the rest of the passengers; a
good thought this of the Cap^{t.} that we might not when we
met on board wear the awkward faces of strangers. I shall be
very happy to hear again from you ere we leave English ground,
and if you write on Saturday night it will I think get here
in time. Tell M^{r.} Greenwood the Drawings will be ready
whenever he sends for them. I rec’d the Ruffles safe. Make my
affectionate Comp^{ts.} to M^{rs.} Fox & M^{rs.} Shelton; I
dreamt she was got so well as to visit her Friends, would she
was really so.
“I am, with Love to my Sister & affectionate Comp^{ts.} where
due, your Loving Brother,
“JO. WRIGHT.
“P.S.--I hope Dick’s[12] heart failed him not }
at his Departure. } Tuesday night,
“M^{r.} Hurleston’s Comp^{ts.} to you & Sister. } London.”
He evidently proved a bad sailor, for in his first letter home, written
from Nice, he says, “The continual agitation of the ship soon rendered
us very sick, and we not only lost sight of land, but of everything
save our cabin, and the vessel into which we discharged the contents of
our sickly stomachs.” He spent many months in Rome, studying especially
the works of Michael Angelo, in the Capella Sestina of the Vatican. He
here made faithful drawings, upon a larger scale than had generally
been attempted, as he considered those subjects but ill-adapted for
pocket-book sketches. “These Treasures of Art[13] have hitherto
remained, in a great degree, lost to the world, having scarcely been
seen except by Mr. Wright’s particular friends, to whom he showed
them, when his imagination was warmed with a description of the divine
originals.”[14] In Hayley’s Life of Romney we read, “In 1773, Romney
went to Italy, where he acquainted himself with all the artists of
his country, for I recollect his having repeatedly lamented that our
amiable friend, Wright, the painter of Derby, had laid the foundation
of those cruel nervous sufferings which afflicted his later years, by
excess of application during his residence in Rome.”
His letters from Italy are very interesting, especially for his
opinions on various celebrated Works of Art. A few extracts must
suffice.
“ ... And on Sunday, 5th Dec. (1773), came into port at Nice
amidst thousands of spectators of all ranks, who were placed
on steps, their heads rising one above another had a very
pleasing effect, like the crowded galleries of a theatre.
It was on the ‘Jupiter’s’ account this large assembly were
gathered together, she being the largest vessel that has
sailed into this port, and I fancy I may add the best, she
weathered without any material injury many storms.”
Rome, Feb^y 4th, 1774.
“As I know my Dear Brother & Sister will be better pleased to
have a speedy account of our safe arrival here, from an hasty
& irregular Letter, than from a more accurate one with delay,
I embrace the first minute to tell you we got here last night
in tolerable Sp^{ts} considering the tedious Journey we had
from Leghorn, w^{ch} is not 200 miles. We were advised as the
best mode of travelling for those who speak not the language
of the Country to engage with a man to take us to Rome for so
much money & to accommodate us with every necessary on the
Road. The Carriages have only two wheels, like our one horse
chairs, drawn by the same pair of horses all the way, w^{ch}
travel about as fast as our Stage waggons; we were obliged
to rise by three in the morning to go betwixt 20 & 30 miles
a day, to arrive at night at a poor house, with large cold
rooms, & bad accommodation, very unpleasing to the English
traveller. By the advice of M^{r.} Cesar, M^{r.} Heathcote’s
friend at Pisa, I provided myself with a large Cloak, such
as the Italians use; w^{ch} kept me tolerably comfortable by
day & night, in w^{ch} I lay, for I durst not undress, the
Beds being seldom lain in. Cap^{t.} Difting’s delay threw us
into the Winter which has been attended with much cost & many
inconveniences.”
“Rome, Feb. 12, 1774.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,
“I fully intended sending this Letter according to the first
date, but was prevented by the visits of the English; and many
other occurrences has since happened to prolong my silence
beyond my wish, as I know you will be anxious to have a second
Letter; tho’ I wrote to M^{r.} Coltman from Genoa, who wou’d,
I hope, inform you I was well. I am (_entre nous_) surprized
he shou’d think of quitting the Close till he has it brought
into as good condition as he found it. If he leaves it so
he must have gained much by it. If M^{r.} Brentnall has it,
who, according to your account, I have no objection to, care
should be taken that he does nothing to the disadvantage of
my Close to benefit his own. I am sorry poor Dick has been so
unfortunate at his first setting out, it was enough to give
him an insurmountable prejudice, for the sea is terrible in
stormy weather. I am sorry he is still likely to be expensive
to us, only because I can’t now so well afford it as formerly.
This Tour has & will cost me much more than I expected. My
wife has been but indifferent, the storms by sea, and the
violent shaking by land (for some parts of the road is very
stony) have been too much for her. I called in a Doctor who
said it was necessary she should loose blood, accordingly the
next morning was appointed for the operation. The D^{r.} &
his Surgeon came, never did I see such parade, they talked of
Galen & Hypocrates & abundance of stuff, to conceal, I fear,
their Ignorance. However, M^{rs.} Wright is better, they are
against purging and have ordered her to drink a small liquor
which they call Sherbett, to thin her blood. I have not wrote
to M^{r.} Shackleford, I did not think it necessary, & his
behaviour to me required it not I am sure, for whatever he
may say of generosity & Gratitude, I never saw the least
shadow of it. I was very fortunate in getting both yours &
Nancy’s Letters; my wife has not heard from her friends,
nor has Hurleston, nor Downman[15] who came with us received
any Letters. I shall be glad to hear from you as soon as
your business will permit. The air here is not so cold as in
England, but it is very thin & searching. Nancy tells me she
has heard the Empress of Russia[16] has taken ye picture of
the Iron Forge, but does not like the Hermit. I hope by this
time you have heard from Burdett & to some purpose. Make my
affectionate Comp^{ts.} to Coltmans, Hopes, Denby, &c., &c.,
&c.
“I am sorry to hear you have been indisposed, and that my
Sister is no better. Give my love to her. Make my Comp^{ts.}
to Col. Heathcote, his Lady, &c., tell them I have seen
Cap^{t.} Heathcote--he’s well. When I write again I hope we
shall be settled, when you shall hear more particularly from
me. It is now Carnival time at Rome, the Romans are all mad.
M^{r.} Coke, our member’s son, has done me the honor of a
visit. M^{rs.} Flint’s death alarmed me much, tho’ I thought
before I left Derby she declined fast. M^{rs.} Clayton’s
indisposition surprised me. What great alterations does a
little time make in a small circle of acquaintance. Pray how
does M^{rs.} Shelton, our good friend M^{rs.} Fox, I hope
for their mutual happiness they both are well. Pray has Miss
Fowler received the colours she gave me a commission for, my
respects attend the family. Adieu. God be with all.
“I am with sincerity,
“Your loving Brother,
“J. WRIGHT.”
“Rome, 13th Ap, /74.
“FOR MISS NANCY WRIGHT, at Mr. Hurleston’s in Cary Street,
Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, England.
“What havock, my dear Nancy, does a little time make in the
small circle of one’s acquaintance, and how weak and tottering
is the basis on which human happiness is founded. Poor M^{rs.}
Van! I left her a happy wife, smiling amidst a joyous family,
but now, by one fatal stroke, suddenly involved in bitter
calamity, in deep affliction, a sad disconsolate widow. I
hope to God M^{r.} Van has left her so circumstanced that she
will feel no additional sorrow on that consideration. He was
a good man, and has no doubt done what he could for his dear
family. When you see them or write to them, give my love to
them, and say I let fall many a sympathetic tear. While I am
in this gloomy scene, let me enquire after the afflicted. Pray
how does M^{rs.} Shelton, I fear from your expression she’s
relapsed into her old malady. Our good friend, M^{rs.} Fox,
amidst y^{e} calamities of this world, with her usual good
sense & fortitude, I hope keeps up her spirits & is tolerably
happy. How does our friends do at Chester, and to go a little
farther, how is M^r and M^{rs.} Clayton, is he got well of
his indisposition? Remember me to all my friends in terms
agreeable to the esteem you know I hold them in.
“In your first letter you mention _something_ of my Brother’s
indisposition, nor is my Brother more particular about it,
from which I judged it was slight; but a letter from Tate,
and yours, wh^{ch} now lies before me, sadly convince me
to the contrary. My suspicions made me uneasy, & the proof
has made but little abatement in it; however, as it is now
only the effect of his illness, I hope he will make daily
advancements to health. I am pleased to hear Mr. Meynell has
behaved so well to my Bro., and that Mr. Greasley--to whom
our comp^{ts.}--is so ready to assist him & is kind. Tate
will have a letter from Hurleston while in Town, but as he
was not so civil as to ask me if I had any commands, or give
me an opportunity of writing a word or two, I must desire
you to tell him I shall be glad if he would look after the
picture of the Hermit, see whether any accident has happened
to it, and deliver it safe to Sotheby to keep till I return to
England. M^{r.} Hurleston, to whose family give our respectful
compliments, will inform Tate concerning the picture. I should
write to Tate, but he must excuse me at present, for I have
so much employment for my eyes (w^{ch} by the by are not so
good as they have been) in the art I am in search of that I
cannot afford to use ’em otherwise; hence the reason I have
never wrote to my good friends Pether, Rawson, Capt. French,
R. Tate, Turner, &c.
“We are now fixed in very good apartments in the most
healthful part of this city. The house stands upon the highest
ground, and we have 109 stairs to ascend to them, which I fear
will be very inconvenient in hot weather. Here are upwards of
40 English students, and many cavaliers, w^{ch} makes Rome a
much dearer place than I expected.
“Rome answered my expectations at first, but my love &
admiration of it increase daily. ’Tis a noble place to study
in, and if so many years had not passed over my head I shou’d
be tempted to stay longer.
“Tell Tate to take notice whether my picture[17] is hung
advantageously in the Exhibition, and it may be sold in the
catalogue, and whether mention is made that I am at Rome. I
have set 80 guineas upon it, but I would take 70 rather than
not sell it.”
[Illustration: THE CONVENT OF ST. COSIMATO, NEAR VICOBARO, AND
REMAINS OF THE CLAUDIAN AQUEDUCT, ON THE RIVER ARNO.
NOTE.--_The writer is indebted to the proprietors of the “Art Journal”
for the above, and several other illustrations in this work._]
Rome, May 22, /74.
“DEAR SISTER,
“After waiting many a post-day with great impatience and
anxiety, I at last rec^d a letter from my dear brother;
from my sister and Coltman’s letters, I had reason to have
expected one much sooner, w^{ch} made the delay intolerable,
and filled me with many a doubt and many a fear, lest he
should have relapsed into his grievous illness. I have felt
much on y^e occasion, and the account he has given me of it
(tho’ the danger I hope to God is over), is even now very
alarming, from the reflection of what might have happened.
You, my dear sister, being witness to the malady, must have
suffered much: I sincerely wish him a speedy and perfect
re-establishment of his health. Ill health is one of the
greatest evils that can befall man in my opinion, the truth
of w^{ch} both you and myself have had woeful experience, and
I am sorry to hear you still labour under the affliction.
Mine, thank God, is much better. This climate is certainly
very salutary, and would, I think, perfectly restore me, was
not my attention and application continually engaged with the
amazing and stupendous remains of antiquity; and so numerous
are they, that one can scarce move a foot but the relics of
some stupendous works present themselves. When I consider the
immense size of the whole, and the beauty of the parts, I
cannot help reflecting how trifling and insignificant are the
present operations of mankind; we are no better than infants,
and ought to wear daiding strings. I have no time to enter
into a particular detail of the fine things this country
abounds with; let it suffice to tell you at present, that the
artist finds here whatever may facilitate and improve his
studies. The Antique remains of Art, as I said before, are
wonderful. The natural scenes are beautiful and uncommon, with
an atmosphere so pure and clear, that objects twenty miles
distant seem not half the way.
“The women are in general handsome, they walk admirably, and
have a gentility and ease about them peculiar to themselves.
’Tis not in the costliness of their habits that they outdo
the English, but in the form and manner of wearing them. Vast
quantity of fine hair, elegantly disposed of, with sometimes a
very small cap, with jewels, &c., are the ornaments of their
head; and when they go out, instead of putting on a hat,
they wear black gauze, w^{ch} is gathered behind, and hangs
from the upper and back part of the head over the face: of a
beautiful woman or rather face, one sees so much as to make
one wish to see more; of a plain one, it partly conceals the
defects. They all wear long trains to their gowns, however
ordinary the stuff, w^{ch} has a grand effect. The common
people dress in the same manner, tho’ with worse materials,
and from the mutual intercourse one with another--for in
the summer months they sit in the streets and pursue their
occupations--they have an easiness of deportment that is
amazing; their dress, too, which is perfectly easy and
picturesque, contributes much to it.
“J. WRIGHT.”
“Rome, Aug. 10th, /74.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,
“ ... The thermometers are now at 97 degrees. My wife received
the letter you mention, and has answered it by post. As Tate
has left Manchester for the present, desire he will write to
his brother to wait upon Burdett for the pen-and-ink drawing
he has of mine, which Mortimer gave me, & w^{ch} I would not
lose on any account. I suppose I shall suffer much by him.”
“ ... We have had but little society here--none with the
Italians--for the want of language cuts off all intercourse.
Learning a new language at my time of life is a very arduous
task, and would take up more of my time than I can spare. It
is astonishing how little I have got of it; and yet, when I
consider my time is entirely spent amongst the antique statues
and paintings, the wonder ceases, for they speak not the
language.”
“ ... Since we came here we have seen St. Peter’s & the
Villa de Medicis, of w^{ch} I can say nothing; they beggar
all description. They abound with objects for the artist’s
contemplation. It is now Carnival time; the Romans seem to
me all going mad. The gent^{ln} & ladies parade in their
carriages up & down a long street whimsically dressed in
masques, the most beautiful of w^{ch} was young Mr. Coke, our
Member’s son. You know he is very handsome, and his dress,
w^{ch} was chiefly white, made him appear charming indeed. The
lower class walk up & down the streets practising their wit
one upon another, consistently with the character they put on.
“J. WRIGHT.”
“Rome, Aug. 11.
“TO MISS N. WRIGHT.
“ ... A post or two ago I wrote to my Bro., by which letter
you will learn my dear Nancy was safely delivered of a fine
little wench, who is now seven weeks old, hearty and bonny.
I watch with infinite pleasure its infant state, and slow
advances to sensibility. I pray God it may prosper, it will
make me happy--our mode of dressing it is so different to
the Italian, it raises their admiration; for instead of the
loose, light, and easy dress we have, they swaddle their
children from head to foot, like so many Egyptian mummies,
and have neither use of their hands nor feet; in hot weather
it is filthy and intolerable, and I observe when the little
creatures are let out of prison at night they discover a
pleasure, which condemns the practice.
“J. WRIGHT.”
“Rome, August 14, /74.
“TO MISS N. WRIGHT.
“I am heartily sorry, my dear Nancy, so many uncouth
circumstances have happen’d to embitter your life, and ruffle
that bosom which I know is so well formed for peace and sweet
repose. The world, you know, is made up of good and ill, and
would exist not but for contrarieties; every individual that
helps to compose the whole has his portion, and happy it is
for him whose scale of good fortune makes light the adverse
one. Minds there are, my Nancy, so fraught with fortitude,
patience, and philosophy, as blunt the edge of ills, and bear
sharp fortune with a degree of composure as is astonishing,
but this, my love, is a power, a faculty of mind few can boast
of; yet, I flatter not, when I say you possess these virtues
in a desirable degree, and now (sorry I am for the occasion)
call them forth, and soothe as much as may be, your troubled
breast. Well I know how grievous the indisposition of your
lover must be to you, yet consider a little time may make a
great change in him; he’s young, and has naturally a good
constitution, w^{ch} doubtless will soon overcome the present
malady. May I prove a good prognosticator, and may you both be
happy.
“My pictures are in great estimation here. I am shortly to be
introduced to the Pope; it is thought he will honour me with
his medal....
“J. WRIGHT.”
“TO RICHARD WRIGHT. “Rome 11th Nov. /74.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,
“I am just returned from an Excursion to Naples w^{ch} I made
partly to satisfy my curiosity for seeing one of the most
wonderful parts of the world, and partly to improve my health
impaired by the intense heats and too close application to
study. There has not been known at Rome so hot a summer as
the last these many years past. In the month of August the
thermometer in the sun was 120 degrees, in y^e shade 96.
At Florence the heat was so great as to affect many with a
kind of delirium, and others it proved fatal to. I never
before experienced such intolerable heat, so great was the
perspiration occasioned by it, notwithstanding we have one of
the most airy situations here, as made it necessary to sit
still and constantly wipe off the sweat as it distilled, this
relaxed the mind and body so much as to render them unfit for
study and application. I am surprised Sir W^{m.} Meredith is
not punctual in his payment, if he has not paid when you write
to me again, tell me so, and I will write to him about it. I
am glad my tenants like their closes, I hope their pains and
expenses will be rewarded; give my comp^{ts.} to them. The
19^{th} Nov., the day you intend to celebrate your Nuptial,
now draws very nigh--may health, long life, and every joyous
circumstance of the marriage state attend you and yours is y^e
sincere wish of yours, &c.
“Mrs. Wright begs to be remembered to you and your intended
lady, with every good wish for your felicity. She is, thank
God, well, and the little Roman is very bonny, and the
admiration of all that see her.
“A day or two before the time appointed for my introduction
to the Pope, he was taken with an indisposition, which in a
short time robb’d him of his life and me of my honours....
Remember me with respect to all my friends; when you see
Whitehurst,[18] tell him I wished for his company when on
Mount Vesuvius, his thoughts would have center’d in the bowels
of the mountain, mine skimmed over the surface only; there was
a very considerable eruption at the time, of which I am going
to make a picture. ’Tis the most wonderful sight in nature.
“Adieu, God be with you and my friends, to whom remember me
with most cordial love,
“I am,
“Your Affectionate Brother,
“JO. WRIGHT.”
“Rome, May 4, /75.
“For MISS WRIGHT, at Mr. Wright’s, Surgeon, Derby.
“DEAR SISTER,
“I thought I should have dated this letter from Florence, but
I am like all other artists that come here, who much outstay
their intended time, and at last leave the noble and renowned
city (Rome) with reluctance. Notwithstanding, I have been very
industrious, more so perhaps than has been consistent with my
health, yet shall I leave undone many things that I covet much
to have. I have staid a month longer than I intended, to have
an answer from Mr. Baxter, the Russian Consul, concerning the
picture I have painted of Mount Vesuvius in a great eruption,
’tis the grandest effect I ever painted. If the Empress is to
have it, it must be shipped from Leghorn to St. Petersburg,
and I must wait here to see it off. I wish she may take it, a
100 guineas will not be unacceptable, for it is not so cheap
living abroad as generally represented; we pay for a floor
consisting of 6 rooms at the rate of £40 a year. The tour of
Italy is now become so fashionable, and the English cavaliers
so profuse with their money, that the artists suffer for their
prodigality.
“I should have finished this letter according to the date, but
have again had inflamed eyes, and have been much indisposed
with sore throats and colds. The weather this spring has been
very awkward, always varying from hot to cold--sometimes
harsh, dry winds, at other times violent rains; in short,
the air of Rome is by no means good; and when I consider my
health only, & the many indispositions I have had here, I am
not sorry we are to leave on Sunday, 10th June. We go from
hence to Florence, where I suppose we shall stay a month or
six weeks, & then to Parma, where the most famous picture of
Corregio is. If the picture answers to its character, I shall
make a copy of it, it will improve me; and if I choose to sell
it, it will be advantageous. When I have finished at Parma,
we shall go to Venice to study Titian’s colouring. These
engagements will detain me in Italy the hot weather, and to
return to England in the cold will not be advisable for me. If
I can get over the Alps before the snow falls, and pass the
winter advantageously at Bordeaux, in the south of France, it
will, I believe, be the best scheme for my health. It has been
said, if I chose to paint portraits at Bordeaux I might be
employed all the winter.
“Give my comp^{ts.} to my good friend Coltman (to whom I wrote
some 7 or 8 weeks ago), and tell him of my intention. But I
should not choose to go there on an uncertainty, as it is not
a place of art. Perhaps he will write to some of his friends
there to know what encouragement I might meet with there for
a couple of months. Make comp^{ts.} to Mrs. Fowler & to her
most ingenuous & agreeable daughter--in a word, to all friends
whom I have in my heart, but cannot particularize.
“Dear little Nancy is a fine little wench. An Italian gent^n
who saw her in the street sometime ago said, what a fine girl
she was, but was absurd enough to say at the same time, it was
a pity the English shou’d have fine children, they used’em so
cruelly, mine goes almost naked. The Italians load theirs with
dress.
“Y^{r.} affectionate Bro.,
“J. WRIGHT.”
“Parma, July 24th, 1775.
“DEAR SIR,
“In conformity to your request I am sat down to give you my
opinion of the famous picture of Correggio, of which how shall
I dare speak, but in the current terms of exalted praise. You
know the world’s opinion of it, & if mine does not exactly
coincide with it, it is not from any affectation of being
singular in my opinion, but the result of such judgment as
I have, divested of every thing that has been said, for or
against it.
“As to the composition & light & shadow, you are as well
acquainted as myself from y^e copies you have seen. The
picture is beautifully coloured, has surprising brilliancy,
without whiteness, and is very harmonious. The parts are
very round and forcibly painted, but is laboured as to beget
tameness--I had almost said woodenness in many parts. The
faces are wonderfully soft, but they want those beautiful
turns & spirited touches we see in nature, & which keeps
high-finished pictures from looking heavy. The flesh is finely
coloured, is very clear, and has a sanguine appearance that
is very pleasing, but withal not so true as Titian’s Venus.
The draperies are neither very finely set nor painted, nor had
Correggio the finest eye for shapes; yet after all the whole
together is wonderfully sweet, & one cannot help being charmed
with the effect. Romney only painted the Magdalen’s head, the
picture answered not his expectations; and Mr. Parry left his
quite unfinished, as the picture did not appear so fine to him
a second time as it did the first. Mr. Copley has been hard at
it five weeks, & says he will spend twice that time more over
it, but he will get it like the original. It is with infinite
labour he produces what he does, but that is _entre nous_. I
have left my outline, with two English three-quarter cloths,
which you seemed to admire, with the Custodio of the academy,
directed for you.
“I am quite tired of seeing pictures, the general run of them
are so indifferent--even Venice answered not my expectation.
Titian’s works are so changed and damaged, & when Mr. Romney
said he was not to be seen out of Venice, he meant in grand
composition & expression.
“In the Sacristy of the Salute are three ceilings, the one
of David & Goliath, Abraham offering his son, & the third I
don’t know y^e subject; these are finely painted & designed
in a Mic’ Angelo like style. Romney did not copy the St.
John; a disaster happened which you will hear of at Venice, &
which I have not now time to relate; he painted a half-length
of Montague and two or three heads, which he will finish in
England. Mr. Jenkins was so obliging to ship my cases for me.
I had desired poor Mr. Stevens to pay Mr. Jenkins any charge
there might be upon them; I wish you would be kind enough to
settle it for me, I will repay you when I have the pleasure
to see you in England. If you will indulge me with a line
directed to me at Germany--Girardot & Co., Bankers in Parma--I
shall be very happy to hear from you.
“Mrs. Downman and Mrs. Wright send their best compliments to
you, as does little Pop her ‘Ta.’
“I am, D^r Sir,
“Your friend,
“J^{o.} WRIGHT.”
“A Monsieur Humphrey[19] Pittore Anglois,
“a Mon^{sr} Varrini,
“Firenze, N.”
EXTRACTS FROM WRIGHT’S JOURNAL DURING HIS TRAVELS IN ITALY, IN
1774-5.
“Naples.--St. Martino Del Monte. In a Chapel belonging to the Castle of
St. Elmo is the famous picture of Spanioletto of a Dead Christ; this
picture is esteemed his best. Mr. Forrester bought one of the same
in Rome, which is now in the possession of----, and thought equally
good. ’Tis well painted and coloured, has great expression and force.
In the Church in compartments over the arches are single figures,
painted also by Spanioletto, some of them very fine, indeed. I admire
his manner, ’tis forcible and natural. This Church of St. Martino Del
Monte belongs to the order of Carthusians, which is the richest of
all orders, indeed, the riches of this Church prove it. Such elegant
things of gold and silver, set with all kinds of precious stones,
I never before beheld. In the King’s palace on Capo Del Monte is a
very large collection of Pictures, Medals, Cameos, and Intaglios. The
famous picture of Titian of Danaë in the shower of gold, is wonderfully
painted, but time and varnishes have robbed it of its beautiful
colouring, it is now too yellow and spotty. The action is fine and well
adapted to the subject, it is better drawn than any I have seen of him.
“In the palace on Capo Del Monte is perhaps the largest piece of
Rock Crystal in the world, it is of an irregular shape, one way it
is upwards of a yard in diameter, the other about a yard, ’tis very
transparent. Here are a great number of Cameos, both single heads and
compositions wonderfully fine. Here also is the finest and largest
Cameo I ever saw, it is an oval figure, and upwards of 6 inches the
longest way. An Holy family by Raphael, small figures very highly
finished, the picture very capital. Lord Scarsdale has a copy of it.
That sweet little Magdalen lying along on the ground, by Corregio, is
here also, as are many others by the same Master.
“In the King of Naples’ palace is a very capital picture of a Holy
family, by Raphael, it is finely composed, the Virgin is lovely, and
the expression of Jesus and St. John wonderful. It is in his best
manner and in good preservation, the Cartoon of it is at the King’s
palace on Capo Monte, the size of the picture. At the same place is a
very fine portrait of a Pope, by Titian, he is sitting in a chair. It
is charmingly painted, with a full pencil, and as far as I can judge
the effect is produced without glazing.
“At the palace are two fine oval pictures of Sal. Rosa, the subjects,
Banditti, very highly finished, and painted with great force and
spirit. A picture of Boys, very good, by Poussin.
“The City of Pompeio, 15 miles from Naples, which was overwhelmed by
the eruption of Vesuvius about fifteen hundred years ago (at which
Pliny, the elder, lost his life), and which was discovered 15 years
ago, seems to me to have been small, at least the houses, rooms, and
the street which remain indicate. They have, by the king’s order, dug
a good deal of the city, but much remains inveloped in a loose kind of
Lava. Parts of buildings intire, with the ornamental paintings on the
walls perfect, in style not much unlike some Chinese painting I have
seen, together with the Sculls & bones of those that perished there,
make a very interesting scene. There is to be seen in one of the rooms
in which is fixed a stone vessel for washing in, an intire skeleton of
a woman who perished at her work. Whatever is found here, curious or
valuable, is deposited in the King’s Museum.
“Herculaneum is at the foot of Vesuvius on which Portici now stands,
is 6 miles from Naples, was destroyed probably by the same eruption as
Pompeio, the Lava which overwhelmned it is much more hard and compact
than that at Pompeio, owing perhaps to its vicinity to the Mountain.
The theatre is the only part which remains open, and that is partially
so, that one has but little idea of the construction of the whole.
They have dug much at Herculaneum and found many paintings & other
antiquities which are at the Museum. As Portici stands upon Herculaneum
they dug but little at a time, & when they got out the valuables filled
up the parts again, that the City of Portici might not be endangered.
“The Museum is the most interesting place I have seen, as it is filled
with the ornamental and useful utensils of Herculaneum and Pompeio.
Glad I am to find from the observations I have made in these places,
that the present age is not so degenerated, either in size or morals
as some imagine. The sculls of the old Romans were the size of the
present, and from the Chirurgical instruments which are in the Museum,
they were liable to the same disorders, indeed there is no doubt but
Nature was always the same & will be so ad infinitum. But to return
to the contents of the Museum. There are many Bronze heads, one of
Seneca, very capital, the rest much inferior. The figures not of the
first-class. There is a Satyr lying on a skin of wine, snapping his
thumb & finger, the expression very good; also two wrestlers in very
fine actions. A sitting figure of a Mercury, sweet attitude. Sculpture
good....
“Left Rome the 10th of June, 1775, came to Florence on the 19th, by
the way of Narni, Terni, Perugio, &c., 180 miles; part of it a most
delightful and picturesque country, of which Claudio has availed
himself much. Florence is a pleasant City, the Arno with its Bridges
add greatly to its beauty. The one consisting of 3 arches only, is very
beautiful. There are a few fine things in Art. The Venus, the Boxers,
the little Apollo, the Dancing Faun & the Grinder. Titian’s Venus,
Florence, did not answer my expectation; when one has seen Rome, other
places suffer by the comparison. Left Florence 4th July, passed over
the Appenines, a very wild country, the surface of which is the most
broken and irregular I ever saw. Came to Bologna, which is 66 miles,
on the 6th. Bologna is a large & well-built City. Its piazzas are very
spacious & beautiful, and not less convenient at all times of the year.
In the winter it defends you from wet, in summer from heat, which is
very great here. At St Agnatis is a picture, by Domenichino, of the
_murder_ of that Saint, not good. The Expression weak, the lights of
bad shades & not well combined. At the Sampiere Palace is a picture
of Guido of St. Peter & St. Paul in his first manner, very forcibly
painted. St. Cæcilia, by Raphael, in St. Iovani in Monte, is much
damaged and not so fine as I expected to have found it, the figure
of St. Paul very fine. A large picture of Ludivico Caracci & one of
the woman taken in adultery, some parts of it very good. The birth
of St. John, by ditto, very indifferent. At the Carthusian Convent,
which is a very elegant one, is the famous picture of Lud. Car. of
St. John the Baptist, the character & expression of St. John’s head
seems to have been very fine, the other parts of the picture not very
good, the whole is much damaged. At the same Convent is a good picture
of Guercino. Left Bologna on the 9th and embarked for Venice, had a
very fatiguing passage thro’ the Canals, arrived at Venice the 12th,
was highly entertained with its first appearance, a City standing in
the sea. The chief works in painting are by Titian, Paul Veronese and
Tintoret. The large picture by Paul Ver. of the marriage in Canaan has
an ill effect altogether, it is a confused multitude. The personages
are chiefly portraits, and he has introduced Titian and other Artists
his friends as musicians in the centre of the picture; there are in it
some heads well painted. In St. Maria Maggiore is the famous picture
of St. John in the Wilderness, by Titian, this picture, like most of
Titian’s, is grown very brown & dark, it seems to have been finely
painted in a broad manner; the drawing is good, as is the action, & the
head has a good character. The picture by Do. of the martyrdom of St.
Peter, in St. Giovanni e paolo is much damaged, has been a very fine
picture, the actions & expressions very natural & spirited. Salute,
3 compartments in the ceiling, by Titian, of David & Goliah, Abraham
offering his Son Isaac, and another which I don’t know the subject;
all these are finely painted and designed in a Mic. Angelo like style.
Church of the Ferari, two Altar pieces by Titian, the one on wood, of
the assumption of the Virgin, finely painted, but the colouring is
become quite brown, ’tis composed in a sublime manner. St. Marciliano,
in the Sacristy Tobia & the Angel by Titian, has been a fine picture,
but is much damaged, the Angel fine character. School of St. Roch, on
the Stairs is a picture of the Annunciation, by Titian; sweet idea of
the Virgin. Jesuits Church, St. Laurence’s martyrdom, by Titian, the
figure of the Saint is very grand, the picture is become very dark, and
I believe never had the effect of fire. Saw in Venice many pictures of
Paul Veronese & Tintoret. Left Venice the 19th, embarked for Padua, had
a very agreeable passage by water, the country is well cultivated and
populous, along the sides of the Canals and river are a great number
of handsome houses, which for miles have the effect of one town. We
arrived at Padua, which is 27 miles from Venice, about 7 o’clock the
same evening. In the sacristy of the Duomo at Padua is a very fine
Madonna & Child, by Titian, sweetly painted, & in good preservation.
The head of the Virgin is lovely, & the child is beautifully coloured &
painted with more than usual care. Saw several Buildings by Palladio,
in very good taste. In the antique Gothic Church, anciently called
Maria Maggiore, now St. Antonio, here lies the body of the great Saint
in a very fine Altar, ’tis a fine Church with three or four Domes. The
great Saloon is a hundred & ten paces long, & eighty wide, the roof
is of wood of an Eliptical form. There are great numbers of Giotto’s
pictures here. The Room has a noble effect. Left Padua the 20th, at
Mezzo Giorno set off for Vicenza, arrived there at night, which is
eighteen miles, the next morning set off for Verona, which is 30 miles,
where we arrived at night. At Verona is an Amphitheatre, not comparable
to that of Rome, but more perfect, having the seats of such part of
the building as remains entire. In the center of it is erected a
wooden Theatre where they act by daylight. In the Church of St. George
is a picture of the martyrdom of that St., by Paulo Veronese, ’tis
in good condition, but slightly painted, & in other respects nothing
extraordinary. The next morning left Verona & arrived at Mantua at
night, which is 25 miles, there’s an Academy for Arts & Sciences lately
built, elegant & upon a good plan. Left Mantua on Sunday, 23rd, got
to Parma on Monday morning. Here is the famous picture of Correggio.
In St. Sepulchre is a Holy family, by Correggio, but so indifferent I
could scarce believe it his. The figure of Joseph is as poorly drawn
and the drapery as ill set as anything I ever saw, in short there’s
nothing good in the picture, nor do I like Correggio in his great
works; his figures are but ill drawn, the heads appear large and want
character. Left Parma on Thursday morning, got to Piacentia that night,
which is 36 miles, it was here that Hannibal, after having passed the
Alps for the first time engaged the Romans. Left Piacentia the next
morning. Got that night to Avougara, which is 32 miles. The next, 29th
July, dined at Allessandria. On the 30th at noon got to Turin. ’Tis
curious to be crying out with heat at the foot of the Alps, whose tops
are covered with snow. In the King’s palace at Turino is a very large
Collection of pictures, many of which are very fine. A man in armour
on horseback, as large as life, by Vandicke, very fine. The armour
is of dark rich colour, full of beautiful reflections, & the lights
most spiritedly touched. By Ditto is a smallish picture of a Madona
& Child, the heads very sweet, but the Body & legs of the Child, not
fine. A fine Head by Rembrant. Here are a great number of Gerard Dow,
very fine, among which is a composition of four or five figures of the
Doctor examining his patients. This picture is so wonderfully clear &
brilliantly coloured, so astonishingly finished, that it seems to me
to be perfection in that style of painting. Several charming pictures
of Da. Teniers of Boors, and one piece of witchcraft or Incantation,
all delightfully painted with such sober clearness and touched with
such truth and Spirit, that one’s pleased & surprized. I forgot to
mention Van Dick’s picture of King Charles’ 3 children, which is a
capital one, the youngest has great relief without shadow, and such a
sweet childish expression as I never before saw. The composition is
simple, unaffected, & fine, so is the light & shadow, but the keeping
is strong. The whole is very harmonious and has great effect. There
is a reddish brown dog wonderfully painted, position fine, & accords
charmingly with the fine red drapery of the Boy by whom he stands.
This drapery is finely painted the light lies on the body & hips, &
graduates very sensibly downwards. The white sattin of the middle girl
is much kept down, the little girl is in blue sattin, with gauze linen;
several Landscapes by Botts & Berghem, very fine. A small historical
picture, by Rembrant, an old head in it, of a most divine Character.
Comondear Genevi Genevos at Turin, has a very good Collection of
pictures, amongst which was a very fine half-length of a St., by Guido,
in his first manner, it is well finished, at the same time spiritedly
painted. The head has a fine character. Left Turin, which is one of
the most uniform & best built Cities I have ever been in, on the first
of August. Crossed the Alps in our way to Lyons, this country is truly
sublime. At the foot of Mount Sennis we left our Carriages and took
Mules to go over the mountain. Mrs. Wright with little Pop were carried
in a chair by six men. We were three hours & half or 4 ascending the
mountain, about two thirds of the way is pretty large plain, on which
is a Lake about two miles over, here the sight was tremendous, the
mountains still rising to an incredible height, hiding their lofty
heads in the Clouds, which the winds now & then dissipating shewed
partially their hoary towering craggy tops, here it was very cold, and
so it was all through Savoy. This Country is mountainous & some parts
picturesque. From thence to Lyons is a flat country.”
There is no further account of Wright’s proceedings after crossing the
Alps on the 1st of August, 1775. Wright, his wife, and child, arrived
at his brother Richard’s, at Derby, on September 26th, 1775.
The little Anna Romana[20] was, with her cousin[21] (who was a month
old on that day), christened at St. Michael’s Church, each brother
being godfather to the other’s child, and their two sisters being
godmothers to both. Little “Pop” was a lively, active child, and did
not approve of the proceedings, as she slapped the clergyman in the
face.
My own opinion as to the effect of Wright’s visit to Italy is that it
increased his knowledge, widened his views of art, and enlarged his
style; but this is a very different one from that expressed by the
authors of “A Century of Painters.” As this book has a position of
considerable authority, I think it right to state my total disagreement
with what appears to me the unjust opinion contained in the following
extract from Messrs. Redgrave’s work:--
“In 1773 he married, and took that opportunity to visit Italy, where
he remained two years, studying, it is said, the works of the great
masters, especially those of Michael Angelo, from which he made many
copies on a large scale. But however much the works in the Sistine
Chapel may have impressed him at the time, they had little influence on
his subsequent practice.”
The sketches here alluded to are thirty-six in number, bound in vellum,
with “Joseph Wright, Rome, 1774,” written on the side by himself.
The book measures 20 × 13 inches; the drawings are outlined by the
pen, and broad washes of Indian ink effect the light and shade of the
drapery. They are done in a bold and masterly manner, and convey a very
good impression of the grandeur of the originals. There is a family
tradition that Wright injured his health by over-work when in Rome,
and that, for greater ease when working these drawings, he lay upon
his back on the cold floor of the Sistine Chapel, and contracted an
affection of the liver, which, as years went on, caused him much pain,
and prevented him from following his profession for months at a time.
On comparing these sketches with various of his pictures, the influence
of Michael Angelo upon Wright, especially in design, is evident; and
in other respects--such as his choice of subjects, and method of
handling--his art changed very much after his return from Italy.
[Illustration: A DRAWING ACADEMY.]
[Illustration: CONVERSATION PIECE.
THREE CHILDREN OF RICHARD ARKWRIGHT, ELIZABETH (AFTERWARDS MARRIED
TO FRANCIS HURT), JOHN, AND JOSEPH.
_Original picture in possession of Mr. F. C. Arkwright, Willersley,
Cromford, Derbyshire._]
CHAPTER V.
THE BISHOP AND THE PAINTER.--SETTLES AT BATH.--LETTER TO HIS
SISTER “NANCY.”--PRICES OF PORTRAITS.--WRIGHT’S METHOD OF
MAKING UP HIS PALETTE.--RETURNS TO DERBY.--LODGES WITH THE
ELEYS.--REMOVES TO ST. HELEN’S.--WILSON AND WRIGHT.--ANECDOTES.
Soon after Wright’s return from Italy, an Irish Bishop[22] bespoke a
large picture of Vesuvius, and on passing through Derby called at his
painting-rooms to look at it. The mountain and burning lava were nearly
finished, but the foreground being only laid in, there wanted the bold
dark parts to give effect to the brilliant lights. On seeing it, the
Bishop literally addressed him in the language used by Hayley in the
following lines, and in consequence Wright would not allow him to have
the picture, nor would he ever sell it. It hung in his dining-room
during his life-time, and is still in the possession of a member of his
family. In the MS. list of Wright’s paintings it is entered “Vesuvius
for Bp. Derry, £105,” but the indignant artist has dashed his pen
through the entry.
THE BISHOP AND THE PAINTER.
A TRUE STORY.
A Bishop who wished to be rank’d with a few
Who are cried up by fashion as men of vertu,
Most wisely conjectur’d ’twould aid his desire
To purchase from Wright a picture of fire;
But his spirit more mean than his gusto was nice,
Tried a singular trick for reducing the price.
And his bargain to make either cheaper or void,
He thus preach’d to the artist his pride had employed--
“Indeed, Mr. Wright, you mistake or neglect
“The true tint of fire and its proper effect;
“I wonder you think of employing your hand
“On a branch of your art that you don’t understand.”
“Hold, meanness and pride, tho’ you’re mantled in lawn,
Ye shall meet due contempt, and your masque be withdrawn,
You never shall wound, unrepaid with disgrace,
A Genius so modest, with insult so base.
You black dilletante I hence learn to your shame,
No mortal can give more expression to flame!
If in flashes more brilliant your eyes wish to dwell,
Your Lordship must go for your picture to ----:
From the plan I propose, tho’ not much to your heart,
I think there might rise some advantage to art;
Your Lordship by going those flames to inspect,
Might learn more of fire and its proper effect,
And the devil, who often creates himself mirth
By caricaturing odd beings from earth,
Would find proper hints for his pencil to sketch
In a mitre bestow’d on so sordid a wretch.”
Hayley intended these lines to be inserted in the newspapers, and sent
them to Wright for his approbation, who thought them so very severe
that he objected to their being published, and only showed them to
a few of his most intimate friends. The original copy is now in the
possession of the writer.
Gainsborough having left Bath in 1774, it was thought by Wright that
there would be a good opening for a portrait painter in that city, and
accordingly in December of that year he left Derby with his family. At
Bath,[23] however, he met with but little patronage, as we learn from
the following extracts from letters:--
“Bath, Jan. 15, 1776.
“Since I wrote the within, Lady Ferrers has brought the
Dutchess of Cumberland to see my pictures, w^{ch} her Highness
much approves of. Thro’ Lady Ferrers’ recommendation her
Highness will sit to me for a full-length; a good beginning
this, tho’ a late one, and I hope will prove successful. I am
glad the conclusion of my letter is better than the beginning.
“JO. WRIGHT.”
“Bath, 9th February, 1776.
“I have now past one season, the biggest of the two, without
any advantage. The Duchess of Cumberland is the only sitter I
have had, and her order for a full-length dwindled to a head
only, which has cost me so much anxiety, that I had rather
have been without it; the great people are so fantastical and
whining, they create a world of trouble, tho’ I have but the
same fate as S^r Jos. Reynolds, who has painted two pictures
of her Highness, and neither please. I am confident I have
some enemies in this place, who propagate a report that
I paint fire-pieces admirably, but they never heard of my
painting portraits; such a report as this was mentioned to her
Royal Highness, after she had given me the commission for a
full-length, as I was told by one of her domestics.
“This is a scheme of some artists here (who, to our shame be
it said, seldom behave liberally to one another) to work me
out, and certainly it proves at present very injurious to me,
and I know not whether it will be worth my while (considering
how little business is done here, and has been done these
four or five years past) to stay to confute ’em. I have heard
from London, and by several gentlemen here, that the want
of business was the reason of Gainsborough’s leaving Bath.
Wou’d I had but known this sooner, for I much repent coming
here. The want of encouragement of the Arts, I fear, is not
only felt here but in Town also, and artists are become so
numerous that the share which falls to each is small. I wish I
had tried London first, and if it had not suited me, I would
then have retired to my native place, where, tho’ upon smaller
gains, I could have lived free from the strife and envy of
illiberal and mean-spirited artists. What I have seen since
I have been here has so wounded my feelings, so disturbed my
peace, as to injure my health, but I will endeavour to shake
it off.
“JO. WRIGHT.”
“Bath, Ap. 15th, 76.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,
“I have sent my two pictures[24] to the Exhibition, where I
hope they will meet with as much approbation as they have
here, and better success with regard to the sale of them,
or I shall be run aground with this year’s expenses. I have
only painted 4 heads yet; the prejudice still runs high
against me. I am now painting a half-length of Dr. Wilson &
his adopted daughter, Miss Macauley; this is for reputation
only, but you must not say so. The Doctor is a very popular
man, and is fighting in my cause stoutly, for he thinks me
ill-treated; he wishes he had known of my being in Bath five
or six months ago, he could have been of use to me before now,
and I wonder my friend Coltman (if he knew) did not mention
him to me; indeed, if I stay I shall have need of all the
friends I can make. I know not what to think of it, sometimes
revenge spirits me up to stay and endeavour to triumph over
my enemies; at other times more peaceful reflections take
place, & I am for retiring to pursue my old walk of painting.
I have some intention of coming to Derby, with your leave, to
paint the sea engagement, at the time when Bath is deserted by
almost all, but will say more of this in my next.
“JO. WRIGHT.”
“Bath, Ap. 30th, 1776.
“TO MR. WRIGHT, SURGEON, DERBY.
“ ... From the month of June till the latter end of September
there is no company in Bath. I intend to follow the fashion
this year and go to Derby, & it will give me an opportunity
(if the old room is disengaged) of painting the sea-piece, or
some blacksmith’s shop which will bring company to my rooms
next season, for there is some advantage arising from their
seeing only; there has been given at the doors £22 already,
w^{ch} more than pays a qrs. rent.
“ ... Little Pop is well, talks a little English, a little
Italian, and a little French.
“JO. WRIGHT.”
“Bath, May 8th, 1776.
“DR. BROTHER,
“The season is almost over here, and there is but little
company in town, therefore have but little reason to expect
any more sitters. Have in hand a small full-length of Mr.
Miles, brother to Capt. Miles I painted at Derby some time
ago. He is now in Town, but will be here, I expect, in a day
or two to have his picture finished; a day will compleat
it, and if I have nothing more to do, shall leave Bath in a
fortnight or thereabout. I shall go round by London if the
Exhibitions are open at the time....
“There has been offered for my picture of the Girandolo a 100
guineas, but the man who is appointed in the room for the
transacting the business knows neither his name, place of
abode, or anything about him, thro’ which carelessness I shall
in all probability lose the selling of my picture. If I do, I
will never exhibit with them more.
“I am yours,
“JO. WRIGHT.”
[Illustration: THE ANNUAL GIRANDOLO AT THE CASTLE OF ST. ANGELO, ROME.
(_From the Original Sketch._)]
“MR. WRIGHT, Surgeon, Derby.
“Bath, March 9th, 1777.
“DEAR BROTHER,
“From the cast of that part of your letter w^{ch} relates to
these rascally watermen, I plainly perceive they do not intend
making me restitution. I think if M^{r.} Fallows would write
them a letter telling them that I should not trouble myself
any farther about the matter, but had desired him to inform
’em of the damage done me, w^{ch} if they did not immediately
redress, to prosecute them, and advertize the affair in such
papers as may most affect them. The threatening them with a
prosecution, tho’ I don’t intend to throw away more money,
may be of use, but advertize them I certainly will. Give my
compliments to M^{r.} Fallows and tell him, as I spent a day
over his picture, he will, I doubt not, do me this favour. The
carrier that brought my things from Bristol is esteemed an
honest man, he was present when the goods were weighed, that
their weight was 3 cwt., what they were at other places he has
no account. I am confident the theft had been committed some
time ere the things were delivered, from this circumstance: I
had occasion to pack in the hamper a piece of armour, w^{ch}
I had some trouble with on account of the fulness of the
hamper, and could manage it no way but by putting it with the
concave side upwards down by the side of the hamper. This I
well remember, and M^{r.} Haden will too. When I unpacked the
hamper the armour was in the middle of it, with the concave
side upwards, and the hay where it lay fresh and green, an
appearance you must have observed when anything has lain
long and undisturbed upon hay. From hence, I doubt not, the
mischief was done in the beginning of the voyage. But it
matters not, I shall look to those people to whom the goods
were first committed, let them seek further, pray don’t trifle
with them, that the affair may be made public while recent.
The account of the things taken, w^{ch} upon proving the
bottles, I find very different to that I sent before.
Eight bottles of old rum, at 13s. per gallon 1 6 0
Four do. Brandy, do. 0 13 0
Two of Shrub 0 7 6
Ten bottles of wine 0 16 8
Twenty-three bottles 0 4 9½
A Cheese 17 lbs. weight, at 4d. per lb. 0 5 8
Basket for ditto 0 0 4
----------
3 13 11½
==========
“N.B.--One of my bottles was returned unto y^e hamper filled
with water. Sent from Derby 146 bottles, received at Bath 22
bottles.
“You have heard the melancholy account of my good friend
Hurleston’s death. ’Tis a loss indeed to me, he was ever ready
to serve me. I never heard his Asthmatic complaint was so bad
as to endanger his life, it used in the thick winter weather
to be troublesome; perhaps the fall he got last year, of
w^{ch} he complained at your house, hastened his end. Peace to
his soul. Since M^{r.} Ward is dead, we are happy Miss Ward
did not regard our importuning her to stay here, pray make
our compliments to her and all friends. My little boy and girl
are well. Jo is about his teeth and cross at times. We expect
to see his fourth every day. He has drove about his creed,
sometimes furiously, & can walk 4 or 5 yards with a slack
dade. He grows very strong & handsome. His nurse, to whom give
our service, would be proud to see him. Pop is an engaging
little girl, everybody that knows her loves her.... I have a
sitter, the first this year, but, thank heavens, I have other
employment w^{ch} I will tell you of in my next.
“I am yours,
“JO. WRIGHT.”
There is no date or address to the following playful letter from Wright
to his sister Nancy, but judging from its contents, it was written from
Bath about 1775-6, as the second picture of the “Smith’s Shop” was
exhibited in the former year:--
“‘What can this lazy, idle, good-for-nothing brother of mine be about?’
‘Why, writing to you, if you’ll only be civil, and not abuse me at this
rate. I am not idle, I assure you, nor lazy, nor good-for-nothing, tho’
I am sorry to say it myself; but that is because here is no one to say
it for me, or I assure you, if I thought it worth convincing you, I
could find vouchers enough. Are you satisfied, Miss Nancy? am I good
for nothing or something?’ ‘Oh! quite satisfied my dear Bro’ that you
are good for something--nay, for that matter very good.’ ‘Well, now,
that is prettily said, and as becomes you; faith, you wou’d always
talk in that manner, if you knew what charms it diffused o’er your
countenance. I think that prettily said, too, & now I am even with
you. I hate compliments; but to dispel a lady’s frowns, & get out of
the gloom, I would swear, lie, compliment, or do anything. Now we have
shook hands, & are upon a good footing again, I must tell you I have
had very good health of late, & have made too much use of it; have
worked very hard, have finished my Smith’s Shop--’tis as good or better
than the last. Have upon the Stocks the young Nobleman, whose avarice
caused him to break open the Tomb of his ancestors, in hopes of finding
vast treasures, from an inscription there was upon it--“In this tomb
is a greater treasure than Crœsus possessed.” This, I think, will be a
favourite picture. Burdett’s tour to France proves highly advantageous
to him. He is to etch plates for Wedgewood & Bentley to be printed
upon their ware--an employ that in all probability will last him for
life--by which he will or may make four or six hundred a year. I know
your honest heart will make your pulse beat high at the news.’”
Farrington tells us that while Reynolds resided in St. Martin’s Lane,
his prices for portraits were--three-quarters, ten guineas; half
length, twenty guineas; whole length, forty guineas. Those of his
master, Hudson, were rather higher, and were soon adopted by him. About
four or five years later, both raised their prices to fifteen, thirty,
and sixty guineas for the three classes of portraits respectively.[25]
Wright’s prices in 1754, when he was twenty years of age, were for
three-quarters, six guineas; half-length, twelve guineas; and full
length, twenty-six guineas. In 1760 we find them raised respectively
to ten, twenty-one, forty, and sixty guineas. Later in life they were
still further advanced to 90 and 120 guineas for full-lengths.
It has often been lamented that artists did not more frequently leave
behind them a record of their method of working, and the arrangement
of their palette, for the benefit of their brethren who follow them,
so that after a lapse of time the good results from their method of
working might be followed, and their failures, by the use of certain
pigments, be avoided. We are enabled to transcribe from Wright’s MS.
note-book the arrangement of his palette. As the present state of his
paintings, where they have not been “restored,” is generally very good,
after the lapse of a century, with the exception here and there of a
change of tone not intended by the artist, his “palette” may be worth
the attention of art students.
The contents of y^e pallet:--
_First Row._
1. Verm. teint Verm. & White.
2. Verm.
3. Carmine teint Lake & Verm.
4. Carmine.*
5. Lake.*
6. Brown Pink.*
7. Dark shade to flesh B^{r.} Oker, B^{t.} Lake, Terraceum Bl.
8. Half Shade Dark shade Naples Yell^{w.} & a little
White.
_Quarter Shade._
9. Olive teint Half Shade Naples Yell^{w.} & blue
teint.
10. Blue teint Ultramarine, Prussian, & White.
11. Purple Lake azure.
12. Dark shade Indian Red & Black.
13. Burnt Umber.
14. Black.*
The colours marked thus * need not be laid y^e first painting.
_Second Row._
1. Rose teint y^e Carmine teint & white.
2. Lake teint Lake & white.
3. Indian Red teint Indian Red & white.
4. Light Red.
5. L. red teint L. red & white.
6. Do. lighter do.
7. Complexion teint Nap^{s.} yell^{w.} & white.
8. High lights do. very light.
9. Naples yellow.
10. Light Oker.
In the same MS. book, on the first page, is the following record of the
palette of another artist, and it is probable that Wright may have used
it in his early works:--
“_Mr. Phelps’s way of making a Pallet._
“First lay on Naples yellow, light oker, brown oker, Roman oker, Indian
Red, lake, brown pink, Ivory black, & Prussian blue.
“In the light part of the face use Naples yellow, light oker, white,
vermillion, and a very little lake. Obs^e that Naples yellow must be
tempered with an ivory pallet knife. For greenish shadows in the face,
use Naples yellow, Brown pink, lake, & a little black.
“As blue black is a colour that will not stand, the following colours
are the same when mixt together:--Ivory black, Prussian blue, & a
little white. So for Coleus earth, use ivory black, Roman oker, brown
pink, & a little lake.”
Wright often used a twilled canvas for his portraits, and sometimes for
his landscapes. He mostly painted very thinly, and it is perhaps partly
in consequence of this practice that his pictures have stood the test
of time better than those of many contemporary artists. He but seldom
signed his paintings; when he did, he generally gave the initials, “I.
W., pinxit,” and the dates.
His early portraits partake very much of the hard handling and stiff
style of Hudson, his master; but as time elapsed and experience was
gained, he adopted more pleasing and original treatment.
In the early part of this century, an artist, Rawlinson by name, who
resided at Matlock Bath, copied some of Wright’s pictures with some
success.
On Oct. 6th, 1777, Wright and his family returned to Derby from Bath,
and went to lodge at Mr. Eley’s, which was opposite to his brother
Richard’s house, where he still continued to paint. There he lived very
happily and cheerfully, being constantly employed in the evening. When
not in the painting-rooms he would read, draw, play upon the flute, or
romp with his children; he was so pleasant and accommodating to all the
family, that though the Eleys were at first unwilling to receive him,
they quite lamented when he left.
In the spring of 1779, Wright removed to St. Helen’s House. This house
was built by the Fitzherberts, upon the same plan, and apparently
by the same architect, as Somersal Hall, Staffordshire. Alleyne
Fitzherbert, who was created Baron St. Helen’s in 1801, was born in
this house, and from it took his title. The ground formerly belonged
to the Abbey of St. Helen, and on the old house being taken down, a
skeleton and numerous bones were found under the foundations, which
lead to the supposition that it was the burial ground of the Abbey; its
site is at the present time occupied by part of St. Helen’s Street, and
Messrs. Hall’s Marble Works. The present St. Helen’s, now the Grammar
School, is on the opposite side of King Street, and was built by----
Gisborne, Esq. The comparatively retired situation of this old house
on the outskirts of the town, suited Wright. It had a large court
before it, and the sitting rooms looked into the gardens, which were
large. Wright always encouraged his children in the enjoyment of active
amusements, as being conducive to health. “The broad gravel walk,
the length of the largest garden,” writes his niece, “was a famous
place for playing at ball, baseball, &c., in which his nieces used to
join with delight, there being no fear of any injury being done. The
old house was well calculated for all sorts of games; from the rooms
opening into each other and into different passages, no place could
be better for hide and seek, and the large hall for blind-man’s-buff,
and games that required space. Swinging was likewise a great pleasure.
There was not any part of the house in which they might not play, and
they could even whip tops in the room where the pictures were arranged
all round, and upon the floor.”
[Illustration: ST. HELEN’S HOUSE IN 1792.]
Wright would allow them to play in his painting-room when he was not
employed, and his niece does not remember him being afraid of anything
being damaged, except when he was painting the portrait of Sir Richard
Arkwright, in which the machine he constructed for spinning cotton was
introduced; then he would not allow anyone to go near the table lest it
should be injured.
The painting-rooms at St. Helen’s House were not so convenient as those
at his brother’s, Dr. Wright’s, in the Iron Gate, where one room opened
into the other, so that by darkening the one room he could introduce
the proper light and subject he intended to paint, and view them to
advantage from the other room. His mechanical genius, however, enabled
him to construct an apparatus for painting candle-light pieces and
effects of fire-light. It consisted of a framework of wood resembling
a large folding screen, which reached to the top of the room, the two
ends being placed against the wall, which formed two sides of the
enclosure. Each fold was divided into compartments, forming a framework
covered with black paper, and opening with hinges, so that when the
object he was painting from was placed within with the proper light,
the artist could view it from various points from without.
In a note to a poem on the Chauntry House, Newark, by the Rev. H. N.
Bousfield, B.A., the following anecdote occurs:--
“The Banqueting, or Dining Room of the Chauntry, contains a strong,
but delicately handled, lengthened portrait of the late Joseph Sikes,
Esq., by the celebrated Mr. Wright, of St. Helen’s, in Derby, the
ancient residence of Mr. Sikes’s family, at an early period of whose
minority that venerable edifice was, to his deep regret, taken down,
and which contained, among other characteristics of “Olden Times,” a
compact Chapel, part of which had a curiously wrought cedar wainscot. A
remarkable proof of the success of the artist in giving to ‘canvas face
and figure,’ was afforded by a favourite little terrier dog of the late
Mr. Sikes’s unconsciously accompanying him into the apartment at St.
Helen’s, upon the _floor_ of which, in a very _unfinished_ state, were
arranged, with many others, this Portrait and that of his first Lady,
the delightful sagacity of that interesting class of animals quickly
displaying itself by an attentive survey of the picture, and by the
most lively emotions of gratification, to the extent even of actually
_licking_ the canvas. The alarm and astonishment, however, so naturally
felt by Mr. Sikes from this honest though uncourteous intruder,
was strongly reproved by Mr. Wright, as the most unprecedented and
unflattering respect he could have received; adding, that if the
_finish_ of the painting was as perfect as the compliment of the dog,
his highest ambition must be exceeded, and if anyone took the trouble
to write his life, that anecdote would necessarily form a prominent
place. It has been aptly observed, that it more than rivals the
celebrated and well-known story of Alexander and Apelles.”
This dog was not singular in paying such an unintentional compliment
to the artist, as the following authenticated anecdote shows:--“In
October, 1782, Mr. Wright was engaged painting the portrait of a young
gentleman named Carleill, and to try the effect in a strong light, the
picture was placed on the floor, with its back resting against the
legs of a chair, when a favourite greyhound, belonging to the family,
coming into the room, bounded up to the picture and began to lick the
face. Hereupon Mrs. Carleill, who was present, apologised to the artist
for the animal’s misbehaviour, but Wright, shaking hands with her,
exclaimed, ‘Oh! Mrs. Carleill, I freely forgive the dog the injury
he has done to the painting for the compliment he has paid me.’” Nor
were human beings exempt from similar deceptions. It is related that
Mrs. Morewood, of Alfreton Hall, went with her friend, Mr. Holland,
of Ford House, to see some paintings at Wright’s rooms; when looking
at the portraits of the three children of Mr. Walter Synnott, grouped
in the act of letting a dove fly from a wickerwork birdcage which was
introduced in the foreground, she desired Mr. Holland would remove the
birdcage, as it obstructed her view of the lower part of the picture;
it is almost needless to add that the cage was painted and not of
wickerwork, and that Wright thanked the lady for the compliment she had
thus unconsciously paid him. At another time, a man who had occasion
to enter the painting-room when the picture of the Old Man and his Ass
(from Sterne) stood upon the floor, tried to kick away the saddle, so
as to obtain a better view of the picture. And on another occasion,
it is said, a gentleman on entering the room, bowed to the full-length
portrait of the late Mr. Charles Hurt, of Wirksworth, which was placed
near the fire to dry, thinking it was Mr. Hurt himself who was in the
room.
With reference to his art-enemies alluded to in the early part of
this chapter, it is a pleasant task to record the following pleasing
anecdote of Wilson, to show that artists may be “great yet amicable
rivals”:--
“Wilson was liberal to his brother artists, and reverenced the
powers of Wright, of Derby, highly, with whom he was intimate. The
latter artist esteemed highly the abilities of Wilson, and when he
was in London, rarely failed to visit his great but amicable rival.
In conversing familiarly one day upon the subject of their art,
Wright proposed to exchange one of his pictures for one of Wilson’s;
the latter assented with the easy consciousness of his particular
excellence, as distinguished from the particular excellence of his
friend: ‘With all my heart, Wright; I’ll give you _air_, and you’ll
give me _fire_.’ It is known that in aerial effect Wilson considered
himself above every rival; and the proposal of Wright may be supposed
to imply, on his part, an ingenuous acknowledgment of Wilson’s
superiority in this particular. I have never heard that Wilson imitated
Wright, but we know that Wright avowedly imitated Wilson, and, in such
instances, reached his glow and aerial effect to admiration.”[26]
Mr. Holland, an intimate friend of Wright, and afterwards one of his
executors, wrote the following intelligible but somewhat incoherent
note on the margin of a catalogue of Wright’s paintings exhibited in
London:--
“Richard Wilson is certainly the first in Landscape (1767). Joseph
Wright should not be called second, because in a procession I would
have them pair, and go hand-in-hand; and were there two right hand
sides, they should both, from their excellence, have them. But this
only in Landscape Procession. Wilson’s forte was only Landscape: look
forward to the variety of the latter, in all of which he excelled;
and in an academy he should have not only one of the foremost, but a
distinguished bench to himself.”
Another brother artist who became a patron of Wright’s was Bacon the
Sculptor, who purchased a small Vesuvius, which was exhibited at the
Great Piazza, London, and afterwards engraved by Byrne.
The following anecdotes and notes, though not relevant to Wright’s
remarkable imitative power, may as well find a place at the end of this
chapter.
The Curator of the Derby Art Gallery tells a good tale of a north
Derbyshire farmer’s visit to the Gallery when the Wright Collection was
being exhibited in 1883. The farmer and his wife were standing before
the picture of a boy blowing a bladder; he was saying to his spouse in
the Derbyshire dialect, “Ah tell yer t’blither iz put behind t’picter,
that’ns a raal blither.” The wife replied that it was only a painted
bladder. He then turned round and appealed to the Curator, who had just
entered the gallery, who assured him that the bladder was painted upon
the canvas, whereupon the farmer became most indignant, and replied,
“Doan’t yer think I knows a blither when ah seez un?”
[Illustration: BOY BLOWING A BLADDER.]
On one occasion, Wright was vexed with a sitter so capricious and
unreasonable, that his patience and ingenuity were sorely taxed. She
came to her second sitting in a different dress to that she had worn
at the first, and desired the painter to represent her as she then
appeared. Wright altered the picture to suit her whim. To his surprise
and annoyance, when she next made her appearance, it was in a third
dress. Again the pliant artist obliged her. When, however, she appeared
in a fourth dress, Wright could stand it no longer, and flatly refused
to make any further alteration. The lady replied in a threat to leave
the portrait on his hands. “Madam,” retorted the painter, “I do not
wish you to have the painting, I shall put it into the first auction
sale, and it will fetch more than I was about to charge you.” This had
the desired result; the picture was taken, but the drapery was painted
over by another artist, named Barber, to suit the caprice of the lady.
A lady who was about to sit to Mr. Wright, was told by her friends that
Mr. Wright would arrange her hair, &c. She, to enable him to carry this
into effect, spread out upon the table a large assortment of brushes,
combs, pomades, bandoline, &c., much to the astonishment and amusement
of the artist.
A sitter, a lady, who, though possessed of a fine figure, and good
arms and ankles, had but an indifferent face, puzzled Mr. Wright as
to the position in which he should place her. After some thought he
chose to paint her extending her beautiful bare arm towards a branch
of a hawthorn tree. Showing only sufficient of the lady’s face to be
recognisable, he brought the full contour of her handsome figure into
view, with one pretty foot and ankle peeping out from under her dress,
and thus produced what was at once a good portrait and pleasing picture.
From the foregoing description, it is most probable that the following
advertisement which appeared in the “Times” newspaper of July 25th,
1871, refers to the same picture, and that Mrs. Woodville was the
sitter.
TO PICTURE DEALERS & OTHERS.
FIFTY POUNDS REWARD.
The above reward will be paid for the Portrait in Oil of the
late Mrs. Woodville, by Wright, of Derby. The size is about
7 feet 6 inches by 4 feet 6 inches. She is attired in white,
and represented as climbing up a bank to gather hawthorne. Her
feet and ankles are displayed, and her shoes ornamented with
garnet buckles. The picture is believed never to have been
framed, and from being constantly rolled up to be considerably
cracked.
--Apply to Messrs. SIMPSON & NORTH,
Solicitors, 1, Rumford Street,
Liverpool.
Upon further enquiry I find that Major Orred, of Tranmere and Weston,
Cheshire, caused the reward to be offered, and succeeded in finding
the portrait at a Chemist’s, in Liverpool, but it was unfortunately
mutilated by being cut down from whole length to “Kit-cat.”
In “Mozley’s Reminiscences,” p. 65, the following allusion is made to
Wright:--
“There are men who are interesting from their associations, but whom
no associations can redeem. Such was Joseph Pickford. I first became
acquainted with his figure and circumstances at Derby, in 1815. His
father had been an architect and builder, and the intimate friend of
Wright the painter, remarkable for his illustrations of the varieties
of light and their effects; and also of Whitehurst, a mechanician and
author of a ‘Theory of the Earth.’ It was a coterie contemporaneous and
on friendly terms with the Philosophical Society, founded by Erasmus
Darwin, but with a different caste, for philosophers are, socially,
as exclusive as other people. The father had built in the Friar Gate
a house of some architectural pretensions, his _chef-d’œuvre_, people
said. The sons had divided it. He occupied the smaller portion, entered
by a side door, much as it had come from the builder’s hands. The only
pretty thing in his sitting room was a charming picture by Wright, of
Pickford and his brother playing with a spaniel, of the date 1775, I
should think, and in the gay costume of that period. It passed into the
hands of a branch of the Curzon family. When I called on Pickford it
was a caution to see what a beautiful child might come to.”
Woodward (G. W.), the Caricaturist (himself a Derbyshire man), says in
his “Eccentric Excursions,” “It would be unpardonable to leave Derby
without noticing the celebrated artist, Mr. Wright, who has resided
several years in a house[27] facing the New Inn, overgrown with ivy,
which, together with its high walls, proclaims an habitation sacred
to study and retirement. The result of his labours are always open to
the inspection of the stranger, an indulgence characteristic of this
gentleman’s well-known affability; and those who depart unpleased
after viewing his Moon and Candle-light pieces, and other inimitable
specimens of his pencil, must indeed be void of taste and judgment in
the imitative arts.”
In Wright’s account-book is the following entry:--“An account of the
Trees in Windmill pit close in the year 1783, when eight trees on
Shaw’s side, six on the Normanton lane, and ten on the road side, in
all 24 trees.” From this entry we learn that the historical “Windmill
Pit”[28] close (where Joan Waste[29] was burnt at the stake in 1556)
at that time belonged to Wright, and that he planted the trees which
adorned that once pretty spot, but which have had to fall before the
march of the mason and bricklayer. The annual rent of the close at that
date was £20.
[Illustration: JOSEPH AND HARRIET, TWO OF WRIGHT’S CHILDREN.
_Original picture in the possession of Miss Cade._]
CHAPTER VI.
WRIGHT’S SECESSION FROM THE ROYAL ACADEMY.--J. L.
PHILIPS.--THE MESSRS. REDGRAVE’S CRITICISMS ON THE
SECESSION AND UPON WRIGHT’S WORKS.--HAYLEY’S POEM.--ANTHONY
PASQUIN.--LETTERS FROM WRIGHT TO J. L. PHILIPS.--THE “AIR
PUMP” PICTURE.
I now propose to deal with the uncommon instance of an artist who,
after having accepted the Associateship, refused the full honours
of the Royal Academy. In November of 1781, Wright was elected an
Associate, and in February, 1784, a full member of the Academy, but for
some reason or other he declined to become an Academician. Much has
been written upon this subject, and very different conclusions have
been arrived at.
One of his most intimate friends, J. Leigh Philips, who possessed
considerable artistic judgment, wrote in 1797--the year after Wright’s
death--the following account of Wright’s treatment by the Royal
Academy, and there is no doubt but that he was well acquainted with all
the circumstances of the case:--
“His portraits are mostly confined to the immediate neighbourhood
of Derby; this remark may likewise in a great degree extend to the
generality of his works, as but few of his late pictures have been
publicly exhibited, owing to their being frequently disposed of even
before finished, and to a repugnance which he felt at sending his works
to an exhibition where he had too much cause to complain of their
being improperly placed, and sometimes even upon the ground, that, if
possible, they might escape the public eye. As a proof of the truth
of this remark, the last pictures he exhibited were _placed upon the
ground_. In consequence of which they were so much injured by the feet
of the company, as to render it necessary to have the frames repaired
and re-gilded. This narrow jealousy, added to the circumstance of his
being rejected as an R.A. at the time Mr. Garvey was a successful
candidate, did not tend to increase his opinion of the liberality of
his brethren in the profession. The Academy, however, being afterwards
made aware of the impropriety of thus insulting a man of his abilities,
deputed their Secretary, Newton, to Derby, to solicit his acceptance
of a diploma, which he indignantly rejected, knowing how little the
institution could serve him, and feeling perhaps a satisfaction that
his friend Mortimer and himself were both deemed equally unqualified to
enjoy the honours attached to that Royal establishment.”
The Messrs. Redgrave, in their “Century of Painters,” “take exception
to this account of the treatment of Wright by the Academy,” and say,
“We are inclined to discount the whole of the tale” upon the grounds
that “we have searched the records of the Academy to learn the facts
connected with Wright’s retirement.” It was a safe place to search for
what was sure not to be found, if Mr. Philips’ account were true.
Against the authors of the “Century of Painters” are arrayed
the writers and poets of the day, who took up the case when the
circumstances were well known. If Wright felt aggrieved, he had a
perfect right to decline the honour; and it appears to me that the
story as told by Mr. Philips has more claim to credence than the
opinions of writers a century later, founded upon such purely negative
evidence.
The Messrs. Redgrave also state that “he then (when offered the full
diploma) refused to comply with the law of the Academy, which requires
a member to present one of his works to the Academy before receiving
his diploma, and required his name to be removed from the list of
Associates.” As Wright declined the proffered honour, it was not
necessary for him to “comply with the law of the Academy, and present
one of his works.” The refusal was consequent upon his retirement, but
there is nothing to show that it caused it.
Again, Mr. S. Redgrave, in his “Dictionary of Artists,” states--“On
the foundation of the Academy he had entered as a student, and in 1781
he was elected an Associate; his election as a full member followed
in 1784. But we are told that, annoyed by another having been elected
before him, he retired altogether from the Academy. The facts, however,
do not bear out this statement, and it appears more probable that the
nervous, irritable, ailing painter, settled quietly so far from the
Metropolis, was afraid of the duties and responsibilities which his
membership would entail.” It will be seen that Mr. S. Redgrave omits to
state the “facts” to which he refers.
The retirement of Wright from the Academy induced Hayley, the Poet,
to write the following Ode, with a view to “Guard him from meek
depression’s chill controul”:--
ODE TO JOSEPH WRIGHT, ESQ., OF DERBY.[30]
“Away! ye sweet, but trivial forms,
That from the placid pencil rise,
When playful Art the Landscape warms
With Italy’s unclouded skies!
Stay, vanity! nor yet demand
Thy portrait from the painter’s hand!
Nor ask thou, Indolence, to aid thy dream,
The soft illusion of the mimic stream,
That twinkles to thy sight with Cynthia’s[31] trembling beam!
Be thine, my Friend, a nobler task!
Beside thy vacant Easel see
Guests, who, with claims superior, ask
New miracles of art from thee:
Valour, who mocks unequal strife,
And Clemency, whose smile is life!
‘_Wright!_ let thy skill (this radiant pair exclaim)
Give to our view our favourite scene of Fame,
Where Britain’s genius blazed in glory’s brightest Flame.’
Cœlestial ministers! ye speak
To no dull agent sloth opprest;
Who coldly hears, in spirit weak,
Heroic Virtue’s high behest:
Behold, tho’ envy strives to foil
The Artist bent on public toil,
Behold! his Flames terrific lustre shed;
His naval Blaze mounts from his billowy bed;
And Calpe[32] proudly rears his war illumined head.
In gorgeous Pomp for ever shine
Bright monument of Britain’s force!
Though doomed to feel her fame decline
In ill-starr’d war’s o’erwhelming course;
Though Europe’s envious realms unite
To crush her in unequal Fight,
Her Genius, deeply stung with generous shame,
On this exalting Rock arrayed in flame,
Equals her ancient feats, and vindicates her name.
How fiercely British valour pours
The deluge of destructive Fire,
Which o’er that watery Babel roars,
Bidding the baffled Host retire,
And leave their fallen, to yield their breath
In different pangs of double death!
Ye shall not perish: No! ye hapless brave,
Reckless of peril thro’ the fiery wave.
See! British Mercy steers, each prostrate foe to save.
Ye gallant chiefs whose deeds proclaim
The genuine Hero’s feeling soul,
Elliott[33] and Curtis,[34] with whose name
Honour enriched his radiant roll:
Blest is your fate! nor blest alone,
That rescued Foes your virtues own,
That Britain triumphs in your filial worth;
Blest in the period of your glory’s birth,
When Art can bid it live to decorate the Earth!
Alas! what deeds, where virtue reign’d,
Have in oblivion’s darkness died,
When Painting, by the Goths enchain’d,
No life-securing tints supplied!
Of all thy powers, enchanting Art,
Thou deemest this the dearest part,
To guard the rights of valour, and afford
Surviving lustre to the Hero’s sword:
For this, heroic Greece thy martial charms adored.
Rival of Greece, in arms, in arts,
Tho’ deemed in her declining days,
Britain yet boasts unnumbered Hearts,
Who keenly pant for public praise:
Her Battles yet are firmly fought
By Chiefs with Spartan courage fraught:
Her Artists, with Athenian zeal, unite
To trace the glories of the prosp’rous fight,
And gild th’ embattl’d scene with Art’s immortal light.
Tho’ many a hand may well portray,
The rushing War’s infuriate shock,
Proud Calpe bids thee, WRIGHT, display
The Terrors of her blazing Rock;
The burning hulks of baffled Spain,
From thee she claims, nor claims in vain,
Thou mighty master of the mimic Flame,
Whose Peerless Pencil, with peculiar aim,
Has formed of lasting Fire the basis of thy Fame.
Just is thy praise, thy Country’s voice
Loudly asserts thy signal power;
In this reward may’st thou rejoice,
In modest Labour’s silent hour,
Far from those seats, where envious leagues,
And dark cabals, and base intrigues
Exclude meek merit from its proper Home;
Where Art, whom _Royalty_ forbade to roam,
Against thy Talents closed her self-dishonour’d Dome.
When partial pride, or mean neglect,
The nerves of injur’d Genius gall,
What kindly spells of keen effect
His energy of Heart recall?
Perchance there is no spell so strong
As friendship’s sympathetic song:
By fancy link’d in a fraternal band,
Artist and Bard in sweet alliance stand;
They suffer equal wounds, and mutual aid demand.
Go then, to slighted worth devote
Thy willing verse, my fearless Muse;
Haply thy free and friendly note
Some joyous ardour may infuse
In fibres, that severely smart,
From potent envy’s poison’d dart;
Thro’ WRIGHT’S warm breast bid tides of vigour roll,
Guard him from meek depression’s chill controul,
And rouse him to exert each sinew of his Soul.”
The first nine verses allude to Wright’s picture of the Siege of
Gibraltar.
The last three refer to his having been rejected as an R.A.
This “Ode” is referred to by Wright in the following interesting letter
to his friend Hayley; and from what we learn of Wright’s character from
those who knew him, it is very certain that he would not have accepted
as a “very ingenious and very friendly ode” a poem which contained such
severe animadversions upon the treatment he had been subjected to by
the Royal Academy, unless he had thought them justified by the facts:--
“Derby, Aug. 31st, 1783.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“It is recommended to the painters who wish to become eminent,
to let no day pass without a line. How contrary, alas! has
been my practice; a series of ill-health for these sixteen
years past (the core of my life) has subjected me to many idle
days, and bowed down my attempts towards fame and fortune.
I have laboured under an annual malady some years, four and
five months at a time; under the influence of which I have
now dragged over four months, without feeling a wish to take
up my pencil, till roused by your very ingenious and very
friendly Ode, in which are many beautiful parts, and some
sublime. Perhaps, had I then been furnished with proper
materials for the action off Gibraltar, I should have begun my
fire; but for want of such instructions, I soon sunk into my
wonted torpor again, from which, as the weather grows cooler,
I hope to awaken. Mr. Wedgwood approves of your subject of
Penelope, as a companion to the Maid of Corinth. You mention
the boy Telemachus being pale and feverish; pray, is there any
authority in history for it? or have you mentioned it to give
more character and expression to his mother? When I know this
I shall make a sketch of it, and consult you further about it.
Some little time ago, I received one hundred copies of your
charming Ode (would I deserved what your warm friendship has
lavished on me), some of which I distributed among my friends;
but would it not be more advantageous to me to spread abroad
the rest when my picture is finished--especially if I make an
exhibition of it with some others?
“I am, dear Sir, with the greatest esteem,
“Your much obliged Friend,
“J. WRIGHT.”
Another writer, Anthony Pasquin,[35] in his “The Royal Academicians:
A Farce, 1786,” gives this account of Wright’s secession from the
Academy, which he puts into the mouth of Truth:--
“The inimitable Wright, of Derby, once expressed an ardent desire
to be admitted a member of the Academy, but from what unaccountable
reason his wishes were frustrated remains as yet a secret to the
world; but the sagacious, or, rather, the envious brethren of the
brush thought proper to thrust so eminent an artist on one side to
make way for so contemptible an animal as Edmund Garbage (Garvey).
They had scarcely invested this insignificant mushroom with diplomatic
honours before they discovered that they had been committing a most
atrocious, diabolical, and bloody murder upon two gentlemen of great
respectability and character, ycleped Genius and Justice; and the
pangs of their wounded consciences became so very troublesome, that
it was resolved, in a full divan, instantly to despatch Secretary
Prig to Derby with the diploma, and force these august privileges
and distinctions upon the disappointed painter, that he had before
solicited in vain. But, alas! the expedition was inauspicious and
unfortunate; the diploma was rejected with the most evident marks of
contempt, and the Secretary kicked as a recompense for his presumption.”
This account is, no doubt, a caricature of what actually took place,
but it to a certain extent corroborates both Mr. Philips’ statement and
the Poet Hayley’s allusions to the same event in his ode; and we must
remember that the poet was also one of Wright’s intimate friends.
Mr. F. G. Stephens has kindly called my attention to the following
extract from “Number 1: A Liberal Critique on the Exhibition for 1794,”
by “Anthony Pasquin” (Williams), p. 15:--
J. WRIGHT, DERBY.
No. 107, “_An Eruption of Vesuvius_.”
No. 232, “_A Lake at Dunkeld, in Scotland, Evening_,” _by the
same Author_.
No. 233, “_A Village on Fire_,” _by ditto_.
“This truly celebrated Artist has honoured the Institution
by condescending to mingle his choice labours with the _Harp
Alley_[36] excellence of a majority of the Royal Academicians.
Feeling their importance so inordinately, it moves my wonder
that these uplifted gentlemen do not eagerly contribute,
by their own efforts, to the support of that order from
whence they derive such prodigious importance, and not give
the cavilling world occasion to remark that they have been
honoured without desert, and retain the mummeries of the
institution without gratitude. When I was in Paris, in 1787,
they managed those affairs much better; the Royal Academy of
Polite Arts there was conducted more nobly: every person was
admitted to view _gratis_, what was meant as a free display
of national genius, for national admiration. With us the
motive seems cupidity, and the end deception. With the richest
Monarch in Europe for their patron, the arts of England are
literally kept from destruction by the votive shillings of
a motley public, who pay the salaries of the professors,
and find _oil_ for the lamps in the _plaister_ and _living_
schools, though the King arrogates the character of being the
high supporter of the system. But it is a provident assumption
of dignity, unaccompanied with either risk, anxiety, or
expense! He seems to possess the _furor_ of patronage as
highly as the tenth Leo, but I have as yet to learn that he is
equally munificent.”
My own opinion is, that the facts as recorded by these writers were
in the main correct. There seems no reason to doubt that Wright’s
contributions to the annual Exhibitions at the Academy had been
systematically placed in bad positions, and that he felt his abilities
deserved recognition before those of Mr. E. Garvey, his competitor
at the time, whose works consisted principally of small pictures of
gentlemen’s seats. At this period, the Elections at the Royal Academy
were contested, and interest was all-powerful; and nothing would have
been more repugnant to the sensitive and honourable nature of Wright,
than having to pass through the ordeal of canvassing for an election,
where merit alone should have been the test.
It is to be regretted that no letters or other memoranda are to be
found amongst Wright’s papers which throw any light upon his refusal of
the diploma in 1784.
I am, however, able to give, in Wright’s own words, his version of his
treatment by the Royal Academy during the years 1790, 1791, and 1794.
From these letters we learn that Wright had again become an exhibitor
in the Academy, but that his pictures were badly hung. This treatment
calls forth these words from him:--“’Tis not the first instance of
their base conduct. I have been driven from their Exhibition before,
and must again withdraw myself, unless I could brook such abuse.”
Again, in writing to Mr. Philips, in 1794, he says:--“Your picture
of Vesuvius and one at Dunkeld which would have been at Manchester
before now, had not the frames of the pictures which I exhibited been
materially damaged at the Academy. Mr. Milbourne has orders to put them
into good condition and send them to you when done.”
This is alone sufficient to prove his retirement had some deeper ground
than a disinclination to present a diploma picture.
“Derby, 11th June, 1790.
“TO JOHN LEIGH PHILIPS,
“My good friend, for so I have reason to call you, is ever
prompt and eager to redress as much as may be my wrongs. I
have lately sustained a real injury from the _most illiberal_
behaviour of the Royal Academicians, with which my dear friend
Tate has made you acquainted. ’Tis not the first instance of
their base conduct. I have been driven from their Exhibition
before, and must again withdraw myself--unless I could brook
such abuse--for it is better not to exhibit at all than under
such disadvantageous circumstances. To put my pictures in
places they could not be seen, and then to decry them is rank
villany, and what an artist should sink under the reflection
of. I wish the Town had held together longer; I should have
been very glad to have their behaviour publickly known, while
it is recent, that if I should exhibit no more with them, the
true reason may be known. I was prophet enough to foretell
what would happen to me. I think I communicated it to Tate,
indeed it required no divination, to know the miscreants and
their dependency on the Alderman,[37] was to know the result
of all. I am sorry the business is protracted from time to
time. The Editors stand much in awe of this great man. I heard
the other day from a Relation of the Alderman’s, that the
editor of the Morning Herald had a violent quarrel with him
for rejecting the performance of a relation of his as unworthy
of his gallery. There is an odd paragraph in the Leicester
papers. ‘The _Prince_ of pick-pockets has given instruction
to his attorney to prosecute a printer for a libel on his
_character_.’ Can you guess who it is? I wonder Vasari has
not yet come out with his statement of facts, sure he has not
plugged with gold the touch hole of his great guns. At present
I can but thank you for your very friendly services to me; I
feel the weight of such _solid obligations_.
“My best remembrances to Mrs. Philips, my Friend Tate, Mrs.
Hardman, &c., &c., and believe me very sincerely and with much
esteem your Friend,
“JO^{SH} WRIGHT.
“P.S.--Tate says you have so high an opinion of my two
pictures that if I will join you, Heath shall be applied
to, to engrave them. I hardly know how to reply, unless I
knew something of the expense, and the likelihood of saving
ourselves in such an engagement. Independent of these
considerations I should like it of all things, as it would be
pushing the matter with the Alderman still further. Perhaps
you will indulge me with a line soon.”
“15th April, 1791.
“TO JOHN LEIGH PHILIPS,
“MY DEAR SIR,
“I have just received a letter from the Sect^y of the
incorporated Society of Artists, assuring me they will be
happy to receive any pictures from me, but they wish to
avoid inserting anything in the catalogue, that may appear
like altercation with the R Academy, and they conceive it
sufficient to mention in the catalogue, that the two pictures
from Shakespeare were exhibited last year at Somerset house,
timely notice not having been sent of the Exhibition of this
Society, but the subjects having received alterations, Mr.
Wright wishes them to be exhibited here. However in this
respect the Committee will be wholly guided by me. I think
nothing had better be said than the above. My wish was to have
had something mentioned in the catalogue expressive of the
slight & injustice shewn to my pictures last year by the R
Academy, by the obscure places they put them in, which I hope
will be an apology to the publick for their 2^{nd} appearance.
Pray suggest something proper if you and my friend Tate think
some observation of the kind should be made.
“Heath & Martin will have an opportunity of seeing these
pictures; whether they will approve of them is uncertain, nor
do I know whether the two pictures of Romeo & Juliet and the
Storm are to be marked in the Catalogue to be sold. It would
gratify my pride and resentment to the Alderman to have ’em
engraved by Heath--as the Companion of the Storm would become
more universal. The Society wish to have any single picture
besides the two from Shakespeare, which would preclude any
unpleasant suggestions that might be started to the prejudice
of the Society. Pray give me your thoughts by return of post,
as I must write as soon as possible.
“I am still unwell--no work going on. Adieu my good friend,
and believe me yours very sincerely,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.
“St Ellens,
“15 Apl, 1791.”
The note in the catalogue of 1791, the last exhibition of the Society,
thus reads:--“N.B.--The above pictures were exhibited last year in the
Royal Academy; but having been placed in an unfortunate situation,
owing (as Mr. Wright supposes) to their having arrived too late in
London, and having since received alterations, he is desirous they
should again meet the public eye.”
“St Ellens, Apl 23^{rd} 1791.
“TO JOHN LEIGH PHILIPS,
“MY DEAR SIR,
“As I have a very high opinion of your judgment, integrity,
and friendship for me, I have the greatest satisfaction
in asking your advice & regulating my conduct by it. I
have implicitly followed your instructions relative to the
Incorporated Society, who I believe would do anything in
reason to accommodate me. They approve of the N.B., as it now
stands, it entirely removes every ground of cavil between them
and the R.A., yet for my own sake, they wish me to reconsider
it, as in their opinion it sets me in perhaps too pointed a
view of opposition to the R.A., but I don’t see that. They
have repeatedly used me ill, and the public ought to know
it, or my changing the place of exhibition might be deemed
whimsicalness. The terms it is couched in are delicate, and
the supposition of delay, being ye cause of the pictures being
disadvantageously placed, is a very sufficient apology for the
Academy, better indeed than my heart is inclined to make them.
“I consider the Exhibition as my mart, and I have sent three
small pictures. I wish they may make good head against the
Royalists this year, against another I hope to be better
prepared. I like the Spring Gardens Room very much. I am glad
you like the addition to your Grotto, in my opinion ’tis much
improved by it; there is a better balance of light and shadow.
I would advise you to get it painted on the backside with a
greyish colour which will preserve it much. I mention grey
because the paint works thro’ like pin heads in any of the
porus parts. That tint will be the least seen and where they
are seen, our dear friend Tate will touch ’em with the point
of a pencil. The Moonlight is 30^{gs.}
“I thank you very kindly for a quantity of most excellent
rags, you were resolved I should never want again. I do not
understand when you say, “if we can see ye 2^d No. of Boydell
we shall all be satisfied.” Pray is the 1^{st} out. I am glad
you are recovered.
“JO^S WRIGHT.”
“20th May, 1791.
“TO JOHN LEIGH PHILIPS,
“MY DEAR SIR,
“Your Account of the base situation of my friend Tate’s
pictures in the R.A. hurts me much, tho’ from repeated
instances of this sort of behaviour both to myself and Pupil
I am not much surprised. ’Tis their duty to form the best
exhibition in their power, by giving every picture the
place its merit claims, but partiality pervades the whole,
and I have frequently seen pictures unworthy of public
exhibition possessing the most advantageous places. Who it is
that misconducts this matter, I know not, but I have heard
Farrington has much sway in the Academy.
“As you have given up the concern which Tate mentioned to me
sometime ago, I must also give up the flattering idea which I
had entertained of having my picture engraved by Heath. Martin
& he wished again to see them. Have you heard anything from
Heath about them, because the time of closing will be drawing
nigh and I must determine what to do with ’em. I think they
will be the last pictures I shall exhibit.
“I am happy you like your pictures, and am obliged to you for
the remittance of £31. 10. 0. I could have wished for the ease
of my own feelings to have excused the payment (for I stand
much indebted to you) but I durst not offer it you, for fear
of wounding yours at this time. However, anon, I will place a
center picture between the two, to show how sincerely I think
myself,
“Dr Sir, your obliged Friend,
“JO^{SH} WRIGHT.
“St Ellens,
“May 20, 1791.”
In a biography of Wright, I am compelled to notice the unwarrantable
attack made by the Messrs. Redgrave, in their “Century of Painters,”
upon the reputation of Wright as a painter. Whether this arose from
Wright’s seceding from the Academy, and so committing an unpardonable
offence in the eyes of the Messrs. Redgrave, or from the fact that they
judged Wright by unimportant works, as I shall presently show, or from
both combined, I must leave the reader to decide.
Messrs. Redgrave state:--“Having made a journey into the County
especially to see some of the works of this Derbyshire artist, we were
shown many, both portraits, landscapes, and figure subjects, reported
to be amongst his best, but always disappointing to our expectations.”
Soon after the publication of the “Century of Painters,” I was at the
trouble to make enquiries as to what pictures had been seen by the
Messrs. Redgrave on the occasion of this visit, and found that they had
not seen his best pictures at all, but only a few which were either
left unfinished at his death or had been tampered with by others,
together with some unimportant works. They did not see “The Orrery,”
“The Gladiator,” “The Alchymist,” nor any of his important portraits
or “conversation” pictures. The “Air Pump” picture was apparently not
seen by them until later, when a portion of their criticisms had been
written, and it then received encomium from them, which I now place
in juxtaposition with what they had written a few pages before. The
italics are mine.
MESSRS. REDGRAVE _v._ MESSRS. REDGRAVE.
JOS. WRIGHT, OF DERBY.
“As a portrait painter, judged by his best works, he was
merely respectable. There is a painful solidity of execution,
_a want of quality and texture both in the flesh and
draperies_, so that when placed beside the works of Reynolds
or Gainsboro’ his portraits remind us of the labours of the
_house painter_; they show little variety of handling; _flesh,
drapery, sky, trees, all being executed in the same painty
manner_.”--“Century of Painters,” vol. 1, p. 258.
CRITICISMS ON THE PICTURE CALLED “AN EXPERIMENT WITH AN AIR PUMP.”
“We certainly should have placed Wright of Derby _much lower
as an artist_ had we not seen this _very clever work_.... The
drawing and composition is satisfactory, and there is a great
contrast in the expression and the varied attitudes of the
several heads. _The flesh of the faces is good in colour, and
most carefully modelled_; indeed the young woman on the right,
in blue, and the lad drawing down a curtain to shut out the
moonlight on the left, are worth special observation for this
quality. _The draperies are all carefully painted from nature
(a merit apparent also in most of Wright’s portraits)_, and
are in this respect very different from the sloppy negligence
of some of the followers of Reynolds. There is a pretty
little incident rendered with feeling and true expression,
in the group of two young girls touched with childish sorrow
and dread of what they are told is to be the result of ‘the
experiment’--the death of the bird confined in the glass
receiver of the machine.
“The colour of the whole is pleasant, the execution firm
and _solid_, and the brown shadows, although dark, are
sufficiently rich and luminous, the picture very agreeable in
general tone.”--“Century of Painters,” vol. 1, p. 264.
Mr. R. Redgrave, R.A., in a letter to the writer, dated Nov. 30, 1861,
wrote:--“I have seen on my journey and since, _very many fine Wrights_,
and have reported to the Commissioners (International Exhibition) on
six or eight, which they intend to ask or have asked for.” It is a
difficult task to reconcile this statement with the “house painter”
theory. Yet the “Century of Painters” was not published until 1866.
Of the picture of “An Experiment with an Air Pump,” which called
forth such praise from the Messrs. Redgrave, I am enabled, through
the courtesy of the Proprietors of the “Art Journal,” to give an
illustration. It was presented to the National Gallery, a few years
ago, by Mr. Walter Tyrrell.
[Illustration: “AN EXPERIMENT WITH AN AIR PUMP.”]
[Illustration: “EDWIN.”
FROM DR. BEATTIE’S “MINSTREL.” ETCHED BY MR. F. SEYMOUR HADEN.
MR. THOMAS HADEN, OF DERBY, SAT FOR THIS PICTURE.
_Original picture in the possession of the Right Honourable Lord
Houghton._]
CHAPTER VII
MENTION OF SOME IMPORTANT PICTURES.--THE CUSTOM HOUSE
AUTHORITIES AND “THE CAPTIVE” PICTURE.--THE “DEAD SOLDIER”
AND HEATH THE ENGRAVER.--“DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOATING
BATTERIES OFF GIBRALTAR.”--“THE ORRERY.”--EARL FERRERS AS
A PATRON.--MORTIMER.--PETER PINDAR.--DR. DARWIN.--ANNA
SEWARD.--WEDGWOOD.--BENTLEY.--“THE ALCHYMIST” PICTURE.--HAYLEY
THE POET.--THOS. A. HAYLEY THE SCULPTOR.
We have seen that Wright’s visit to Italy caused him to turn his
attention to landscape, and it is after his return from thence that we
find him entering upon the treatment of poetical subjects. “Edwin,”
from Beattie’s “Minstrel,” and “Maria,” from Sterne’s sentimental
journey, were exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1778 and 1781, and were
portraits of living persons, who were eminently fitted to represent
the ideal of the authors. Before Wright commenced to paint “Edwin
the Minstrel,” he wrote to Dr. Beattie to ask his opinion upon the
treatment of the subject. The Doctor wrote a very excellent letter in
reply, and concluded by saying, “Edwin from your pencil will be all my
pen vainly endeavoured to make him.” A Derby gentleman, Thos. Haden,
surgeon, who was considered to be one of the handsomest men in the town
at that date, sat for this picture. The lady who sat for “Maria” was a
Mrs. Bassano, of Derby.
I am indebted to Mr. F. Seymour Haden for kindly allowing me to
embellish this volume with his admirable etching of “Edwin the
Minstrel.”
We may well attribute these and some other pictures of a sentimental
character to the influence of Wright’s visit to Italy. Wright was
evidently indebted for the attitude of the figure in the picture of
“The Captive” to Michael Angelo’s “Adam” in the Capella Sistina. This
picture was painted in Rome, and sent to England. A very good tale is
told about it, which is here inserted from “The Universal Magazine” of
June, 1795:--
“When this celebrated painter (Wright, of Derby) was at Rome, he
painted that very fine figure, “The Captive,” from Sterne, and
consigned the picture to a friend in London, who having advice of its
being landed, and deposited in the Custom House, presented a petition
to the Board, stating that it was a portrait painted by an English
artist, and praying it might be delivered duty free. In answer to this
he received an order to attend on a given day, and was brought before
their honours. The picture was produced, and the first question asked
was, “Of whom is it the portrait?” The gentleman replied with truth, it
was the portrait of a Roman (for it was copied from a Roman beggar),
and the Board seemed inclined to let it pass; but an old gentleman, who
had long been a Commissioner, made a shrewd objection, and remarked
that this was such a portrait as he had never before seen in his life,
and taken in a manner that he did not believe either Roman, Greek,
Turk, Jew, or Infidel, would ever consent to ‘sit.’ ‘If,’ he added,
‘any gentleman at this Honourable Board chose to have his picture
drawn, would not he put on a clean shirt, and have his wig fresh
powdered, and be clean shaved; answer me that? To be sure he would.
Now, it is here pretended, that this fellow sat for his portrait, who
had hardly a rag to cover his nakedness; gentlemen, if he could have
afforded to have paid for painting his picture, he could have afforded
to buy himself a pair of breeches!’ He added by moving that the duty
might be paid; and the duty was paid accordingly.”
Wright was more fortunate when he returned from Italy, as to payment of
Custom House duties, as the following extract from a letter from Bath,
dated 4th Dec., 1775, shows:--“Through the interest & application of my
friend Mr. Baxter, I have got my pictures, &c., duty free, a thing so
unusual the clerks cou’d scarce credit it. I believe it an indulgence
none have experienced but myself. Had I been charged with ye common
duty, I should have had near £30 to pay, an object this at any time, at
the present a very material one.”
From the pictures of this character, we must not omit to mention that
of the “Dead Soldier,” from Langhorne’s poems, which has become so
familiar through the excellent line engraving by Heath.
It is related that Wright said before he painted the “Dead Soldier,”
that he would depict the greatest possible sorrow, yet there should be
a smiling face in the picture. The following lines by William Sotheby,
F.R.S., bear testimony to the realisation of his intention:--
“I, to yon lonely tent by pity led,
View where the widow mourns her soldier, dead;
Turns from her babe, whose careless smiles impart
Strange woe, that harrows up the mother’s heart,
Hangs o’er the body, bleeding on the ground,
Clasps his cold hand, and faints upon the wound.”
The picture of the “Dead Soldier” was bought from the easel by Heath
for £105, who afterwards sold it to J. L. Philips. It was sold in
Manchester, when the effects of that Patron of the Fine Arts came
to the hammer, by Winstanley and Taylor, in October, 1814, and then
realized £315. It is thus described in the Catalogue:--“Lot 33, Wright,
of Derby,--‘The Dead Soldier.’ This acknowledged _chef-d’œuvre_ of this
admired master, uniting great knowledge of grouping, excellent drawing,
& correct colouring, with a fine feeling of sentiment, decidedly
proves the assertion of Mr. Fuzeli, in his ‘Biographical Notice of Mr.
Wright,’ that ‘he once eminently succeeded in the pathetic.’”
The line engraving by Heath appears, from the following correspondence,
to have been a great success.
The following is a copy of the original circular issued by the
Engraver:--
London, July 25th, 1795.
PROPOSALS
For Publishing by Subscription
A PRINT,
To be Engraved by
_JAMES HEATH_,
Historical engraver to his Majesty, &c.,
from
The celebrated picture
of
THE DEAD SOLDIER,
Painted by
WRIGHT, OF DERBY.
CONDITIONS:
That the plate shall be the Size of the Plate of the DEATH
OF GENERAL WOLFE. The price of each print will be One
Guinea; Proofs, Two Guineas; Half to be paid at the time of
subscribing, and the remainder on the delivery of the Print.
Subscriptions are received by the Proprietor, _James Heath_,
at 42 Newman Street, where a proof of the plate may be seen.
_Received __________________ 179 of
the sum of ______________ being Half of the Subscription
for ______________ impression of the above-mentioned print,
which I promise to deliver according to the proposals._
The following correspondence relating to the print is also of some
interest:--
“Oct. 17th, 1796.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“I have sent a proof of the ‘Dead Soldier’ very near finished.
Pray let me have your opinion and remarks upon it as soon
as possible. I have sent one to Wright, and have asked him
to paint a companion to it; if he will not, who would you
recommend for that purpose?
“I have hopes of a great sale from the number of subscribers I
already have, and the approbation the print has met with from
every one who has seen it.
“J. HEATH.”
“1796.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“The prints you mention from Wright’s I dare say I shall be
able to pick up at the sales this winter. I have heard from
Mr. Wright, in which he says: ‘The effect of the picture is so
well preserved, and the parts which compose it so true, that
I have nothing to say but that I am well pleased with it.’ He
says that he began to paint again about a week ago, and that
he will (if his health returns) talk to me about a companion
picture.
“J. HEATH.”
“Feby., 1797.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“I shewed him (Lord Lansdowne) a proof of the ‘Dead Soldier,’
which he liked exceedingly, and subscribed for a couple. I
asked his permission to dedicate it to him, which seemed to
give him great pleasure. I expect him to call to see the
picture, and when he has seen it, I will immediately send it
on to you.
“J. HEATH.”
“TO JOSEPH WRIGHT.
“SIR,
“As I am going to publish the ‘Dead Soldier,’ I wish to
announce the ‘Shipwrecked Sailor’ as a companion. I should
therefore be much obliged to you to inform me whether your
health will permit your painting it. An answer will much
oblige.
“Your most obedt. Servt.,
“JAS. HEATH.
“Mch. 14th, 1797.
“Newman St., London.”
“April, 1797.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“I have sent in a large tin case by to-night’s conveyance,
four Dozen of the very first impressions of the ‘Dead
Soldier,’ and one Dozen proofs. This number is more than you
have at different times ordered for yourself and friends, but
as I have raised the price to
2. 2. 0.
1. 6. 0.
and as they are choice impressions, I should suppose they will
not stick on hand. If they should, you can at any time return
them. A few of them have the same date of publication as the
proofs, and consequently in the earliest state. I have met
with more success than I had hoped for in such times as these.
It is universally talked of, and I have orders for between 2 &
300 from the trade only.
“J. HEATH.”
“Aug 20, 1797.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“A few days ago I sent an India proof of the ‘Dead Soldier.’
I should have sent you one before, but as the India paper was
not good, I did not take above three impressions, the best
of which you have. I have sent by to-day’s coach seven ‘Dead
Soldiers.’ Respecting the two pictures of Wright’s, of ‘Hero’
& ‘Leander,’ I mentioned it to L^{d.} Lansdowne, who has
promised to procure them for me if he can. Have you heard how
Wright is lately. If he is not dead, I shall think there are
hopes he may recover sufficiently to paint a companion for me.”
“1797.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“I received (1797) yours with the bill enclosed. I am very
sorry to hear of Wright’s death, as I do not know now who to
get to paint a companion to the ‘Dead Soldier.’ I wish you
would say who you think would do it best. I mean to get the
pictures of ‘Hero,’ &c., as soon as L^{d.} Lansdowne comes to
Town, and with respect to Sterne’s ‘Old Man and Ass,’ I think
it would be a good thing to engrave. Mr. Corbould would be the
man to put the back ground to it.
“J. HEATH.”
“June 14^{th.} 1798.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“I wish you would get the two pictures of ‘Hero’ & ‘Leander’
for me. I should like to engrave them very much. I have
mentioned them to L^d Lansdowne several times, but he seems to
hint that there is a family coolness which prevents him from
asking for them.
“The ‘Dead Soldier’ continues to sell very well, indeed so
much so, that I am very desirous of going on publishing for
myself.
“J. HEATH.”
“July 28, 1805.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“Mr. Corbould desires me to inform you that he has finished
Wright’s picture. I should think it would be worth while to
engrave it, and if, after you have seen it, you think so too,
and would go halves in the speculation, I should like to do it.
“J. HEATH.
“Russell Place.”
“May 12, 1807.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“My next work will be a companion to the ‘Dead Soldier.’
M^{r.} Smirke has nearly finished the picture. He had painted
one four years ago, but it did not quite please him, and he
has now succeeded more to his wishes.
“J. HEATH.”
“Feby., 1810.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS.
“I have often thought of mentioning to you the circumstance of
M^{r.} Morland’s having bought my Landscape of Wright’s for
16 Guineas, and his never offering to pay for it, although
it is so long ago. I wish for your advice, as you know his
circumstances better than I do.
“J. HEATH.”
It has been the custom to view Wright only as a painter of artificial
light, and for picture dealers and some others to attribute all unknown
pictures of fire in any form to “Wright of Derby.” We ourselves have
seen many so attributed, which would not add fame to any painter’s
name. The Exhibition of Wright’s Works in the Derby Corporation Art
Gallery, in 1883, tended to dispel this unfounded illusion as to the
limits of Wright’s art. Whilst the representation of fire-light in some
form or other was undoubtedly a speciality with Wright, this class of
subjects, after all, formed but a small proportion of the numerous
works then collected together.
On reference being made to the appendix it will be noticed that there
were many other important works painted by Wright which were never
exhibited; and as he did not always sign his paintings, they may
possibly now be attributed to other artists, or to the great _unknown_.
A picture that created considerable attention at the time it was
painted, was the “Destruction of the Spanish Floating Batteries off
Gibraltar,” on September 13th, 1782,[38] which was bought from the
easel by Mr. J. Milnes for £420, being the highest price Wright
obtained for a single picture. This was one of the works included in
the London Exhibition of Wright’s pictures in the year 1785, and
a notice of the Press of that date thus alludes to it:--“We shall,
however, at different periods lay before our readers a particular
account of these noble productions as they stand in the catalogue:
except that grand scene of the ‘Destruction of the Floating Batteries
off Gibraltar,’ which we cannot resist the present impulse of
mentioning out of its turn. In this picture, Mr. Wright has represented
a view of the extensive scenery, combined with the action on the 13th
Sept., 1782, in which his design is sublime, and his colouring natural
and brilliant beyond description. We never remember to have seen
shadows painted so little like substance as those in the foreground,
which gain great strength and richness from the prodigious brightness
of the grand explosion at a distance; but we feel ourselves inadequate
to the task of pointing out the various merits of this phenomenon
in the imitative arts, which proves the painter is unique in the
extraordinary line of the charming study he has so happily pursued.”
[Illustration: MISS DUESBURY.
_Original picture in the possession of Mr. George Dean, Derby._]
The following lines were written by Hayley, “On Wright’s Picture of the
Siege of Gibraltar”--
CALPE’S ADDRESS TO BRITANNIA.
“With patriotic pride, and national delight,
Ye Britons view me in the tints of Wright!
My rock’s the proof, that British Minds and Hearts
Are honour’s darlings, both in Arms and Arts;
With double triumph here let Britons say
Britons alone could rule this fiery fray;
This miracle of Art a Briton wrought,
Painting as boldly as his country fought.”
EXTRACT FROM A LETTER FROM BUXTON WELLS, JANUARY 3, 1785.
“Governor Elliot’s successful defence of Gibraltar has, among the many
essential advantages accruing from it, been productive of some of the
noblest works in the Fine Arts, especially among the painters. On
stopping at Derby a few days since, I was introduced by a friend to
view the productions of that great genius Wright, whose astonishing
power of expressing artificial lights on canvas, the world has long
been acquainted with. His new picture on the Siege of Gibraltar, for
composition, force, brilliancy, and prodigious effect of fire, exceeds,
in my opinion, all his former labours. To attempt a description of it
would be in vain; whoever sees the picture must have such an idea of
the action as no poetry can describe. Mr. Wright has not been in the
Exhibition (for reasons I cannot explain) for some time past, but that
he will not withhold this sublime piece from general inspection, I most
sincerely hope, as the attack on Gibraltar, with some other pieces on
interesting subjects, would form an Exhibition in every way worthy of
the countenance of the public.”
The “Orrery” picture was exhibited at the Society of Artists’ Rooms, in
1766, so must have been painted when Wright was thirty years old. It
was purchased by, and probably painted for, the Earl Ferrers, for the
sum of two hundred guineas; fifty pounds of this was paid on account,
and the remainder secured by a bond, of which a copy is given on the
next page.
The figures in the picture are all portraits, and various persons
have been mentioned as the probable originals who were thus honoured.
A copy of the print, once belonging to the artist, has certain names
written on the margin, with the date 1768, so that the following are
identified:--Jos. Wright, with his back towards the spectator, Mr.
Burdett taking notes, young Cantrell, Mr. A. Winterman, Mr. G. Snowden,
Mrs. Sale, and Mr. Denby as the philosopher.
Mr. Burdett also figures in the “Gladiator” picture. The other boy
sitter was a son of Earl Ferrers, as the following extract from the
“Stemmata Shirleiana” shows:--“Lawrence Rowland, 2nd Son of Robert 6th
Earl of Ferrers, Bap. at St. Alkmund’s Derby, Nov. 3, 1757, d. Feb. 5,
1773. His portrait when very young is preserved in Wright’s celebrated
picture of the ‘Orrery,’ well known from the engraving.”
The picture passed from the hands of the Ferrers family, and was sold
by Mr. Thos. Rought, of London, to the late Mr. Francis Wright, of
Osmaston Manor, by Ashbourne, for the sum of fifty guineas, in 1853.
In 1884, at the dispersion of Mr. John Osmaston’s collection, to whom
the picture then belonged, it was again in the market, and it is with
pleasure that we are able to record that, being purchased by a few of
Wright’s admirers, singularly, at the original price of two hundred
guineas, it was on September 4th presented to the Derby Corporation Art
Gallery as a memorial to the painter, where it will remain as a fitting
record of the admirable powers he possessed, and be admired by his
fellow-townsmen in years to come.
The bond mentioned above was as follows:--
[Sidenote: STAMP 1/6]
Know all men by these presents That we the Right Honourable
Washington Earl of Ferrers Peter Pery Burdett of Stanton
Harold in the County of Leicester Gentleman are held and
firmly bound to Joseph Wright of the Town of Derby Painter
in the sum of one hundred and sixty pounds of good & lawful
money of Great Britain To be paid to the said Joseph Wright or
his certain attorney Executors administrators or assigns for
which payment to be well & faithfully made We bind ourselves
and each of us by himself our & each of our Heirs Executors
& administrators firmly by these presents Sealed with our
seal Dated this Eleventh day of July in the third year of the
Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third by the grace of
God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the
Faith & so forth and in the year of our Lord One thousand and
seven hundred and sixty-three The condition of this obligation
is such That of the above Bounden Earl Ferrers & Peter Pery
Burdett or either of them their or either of their Heirs
Executors or Administrators do and shall and do well & truly
pay or cause to be paid unto the above named Joseph Wright
or his certain attorney Exors. Administrators or assigns the
full sums of Eighty Pounds of Good and lawful Money of Great
Britain with lawful interest for the same on the eleventh day
of July which will be in the year of our Lord one Thousand
seven hundred and sixty-four. Then their obligation to be void
or else to remain in full force
Sealed & delivered being first duly stamped
in the presence of
W. WOTY
[Illustration: signatures Ferrers L.S. and P. P. Burdett L.S.]
From the following extract of a letter written by Wright to his brother
Richard, dated Rome, 13^{th} Ap., 1774, we learn that Burdett’s
behaviour caused Wright some anxiety as to his fulfilment of the bond:--
“I have just received a letter from Mr. Tate of Liverpool,
where he tells me M^{r.} Burdett has sold up his goods and
is off. M^{rs.} Burdett and her dear Miss Fredried are gone
into lodgings, over head and ears in debt. I stand no chance
of being paid at present--well, if ever; wou’d therefore have
you write immediately to Lord Ferrers and tell him how things
stand between me and Burdett, that he has not paid a farthing
of principal or interest of the four score pounds his Lordship
was bound for, w^{ch} I lent him in the year ’60 or ’61, that
he takes no notice of the letters I have wrote him lately
concerning the debt, must therefore look to his Lordship
for it. When you write to his Lordship send the amount of
principal and interest, and desire him to pay it as soon as he
conveniently can. If it is not convenient for him to pay the
whole, perhaps it will be prudent to take the interest only,
as that will secure y^e debt, and prolong the limited time
for payment. M^{r.} Fallows will advise you, give my respects
to that family. Tell his Lordship I would not apply to him
at this time for y^e money was I not much distressed for it,
travelling is very expensive.”
On the back of the bond, in Wright’s handwriting, is the following:--
“August the 23, 1776.
“Memo. This day the Earl Ferrers accepted a bill
drawn by me for Eighty Pounds, which when paid will be in full
for the principal of this Bond.”
[Illustration: Siganture Jos^{h.} Wright]
EXTRACT FROM “WINE AND WALNUTS.” BY PINE.
“Wright was celebrated for scenes that represented the effects of
fire subjects, which he painted with more truth to nature than even
Schalken, so far-famed.”
SUPPER AT MORTIMER’S.
“Upon my word, a delicate little hen turkey; what, a Christmas present
already! This turkey is from my old fellow-’prentice, Joe Wright,”
said Mortimer,[39] “who never forgets us at Christmas. Poor Joe,
the valetudinarian! I’d be sworn he procured one of the least in
all Derby out of sheer compassion to our evil habits. He knows we
always dress his Christmas turkey for supper, and he has generally a
hint by way of postscript to his letters, touching the prevalence of
apoplexy. Now Master Joe was one of your water-gruel disciples when
we were youngsters together at Hudson’s; and I would wager ten pounds
to a crown piece, he is just now sitting, Peter Grievous, over that
wishy-washy, tasteless, humdrum, drivelling dish, and calling to old
Nan Watkins--‘Nanny, have you any nice live coals? Do, pray, let me
have my bed warmed.’ Are you a supper eater, Mister Gibbon?”[40] “No,
Mister Mortimer; I am a single man, and a bit of a valetudinarian like
your friend Mister Wright.” “And a water-gruel eater, I presume?” said
Mortimer. “Yes, indeed,” said Gibbon, smiling; “though in truth, I do
not know that I am at all the better for these scrupulosities in diet.”
This playfully overdrawn picture of Wright’s habits was probably
written before Wright went to Italy. Wright was of very temperate and
abstemious habits, which, unfortunately, cannot be said of Mortimer.
Dr. Wolcott, as Peter Pindar, in one of his Poems, called Mr. Wright’s
moons silver sixpences; upon being remonstrated with, he said he had
not seen any of his moonlights, but supposed the moon must look like a
sixpence. Probably this was the passage that Mr. Holland disliked, when
he wrote the following lines, had them printed, and pasted them over
the passage in his volume of Peter Pindar’s Poems--
“Would’st thou paint _Landscape_, study Derby WRIGHT,
Where freedom, elegance, and truth unite.
_Rich sparkling tints_, grand shapes and masses show
How fine his pencil marks the Sunset’s glow;
Nor does his Master-hand less skillful seem,
When silver Cynthia quivers in the stream;
E’en Envy with approving smiles must own
In all WRIGHT paints, NATURE and WRIGHT are ONE.”
Mr. Holland showed the book to a friend, who exclaimed, “Well done,
Peter, I did not think he would have done Wright so much justice.”
The celebrated Dr. Darwin, who was on friendly terms with Wright, was
often consulted by him, respecting his “imaginary complaints,” as the
Doctor unjustly called them; and on one occasion told him, “he had but
one thing more to recommend, and that was what he would not give, but
he thought it would be to his advantage to be engaged in a vexatious
lawsuit.” The Poet Doctor alludes to Wright in his “Botanic Garden,”
Canto I., line 175, in the following lines--
“So Wright’s bold pencil from Vesuvius’ height,
Hurls his red lavas to the troubled night;
From Calpe starts the intolerable flash,
Skies burst in flames, and blazing oceans dash--
On birds in sweet repose his shades recede,
Winds the still vale, and slopes the velvet mead,
On the pale stream expiring zephyrs sink,
And moonlight sleeps upon its hoary brink.”
FROM THE “MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE OF DR. DARWIN.” BY ANNA SEWARD.
“In the course of the year 1770, Mr. Day stood for a full-length
picture[41] to Mr. Wright, of Derby. A strong likeness, and a dignified
portrait were the result. Drawn as in the open air, the surrounding
sky is tempestuous, lurid, and dark. He stands leaning his left arm
against a column inscribed to Hampden. Mr. Day looks upward as
enthusiastically meditating on the contents of a book, held in his
dropped right hand. The open leaf is the oration of that virtuous
patriot in the senate, against the grant of ship money demanded by King
Charles the First. A flash of lightning plays in Mr. Day’s hair, and
illuminates the contents of the volume. The poetic fancy and what were
_then_ the politics of the original, appear in the choice of subject
and attitude. Dr. Darwin sat to Mr. Wright about the same period. The
result was a simply contemplative portrait[42] of the most perfect
resemblance.”
Miss Meteyard, in her life of Wedgwood, says in Vol. II., page
442:--“Wedgwood in the previous year (1778) had bespoken a picture of
Wright, of Derby, who, neglected by his countrymen ‘would,’ as Wedgwood
said, ‘starve as a painter if the Empress of Russia had not some taste
and sense to buy these pictures now, which we may wish the next century
to purchase again at treble the price she now pays for them.’ Soon
after this Wright tried enamel painting, and towards the close of 1779
he promised to visit Etruria and ‘catch any help from its fires;’ but
it is not till subsequently that we hear of the fine picture he painted
for Wedgwood.”
Again, on page 508, Miss Meteyard writes:--“In 1784 Wright, of Derby,
painted for Wedgwood his celebrated picture of the Maid of Corinth, as
also a portrait which was probably that of the very friend who had as
far as possible replaced Bentley in his heart, Erasmus Darwin. After
some critical remarks on female drapery, Wedgwood, in writing to the
painter, said of the Maid of Corinth:--
“I do not say I am _satisfied_ with the lover, but that I think it
excellent, I had almost said inimitable, & I should quake for any
future touch of your pencil there. It is unfortunate, in my _opinion_,
that the maid shows so much of her back; but I give my _opinion_ only,
with great diffidence and submission to your better judgment. In one
word, you have been so happy in your figure of the lover, that almost
any other must appear to disadvantage in so near a comparison. Make her
to please yourself, and I shall be perfectly satisfied.”
“Six years previously Wright had painted for Mr. Wedgwood one of his
most celebrated pictures. Writing to Bentley the latter says:--‘I am
glad to hear that Mr. Wright is in the land of the living. I should
like to have a piece of this gentleman’s art, but think Debutades’
daughter would be a more apropos subject for me than the Alchymist,
though my principal reason for having this subject would be a sin
against the costume. I mean the introduction of our vases into the
piece, for how could such fine things be supposed to exist in the
earliest infancy of the potter’s art? You know what I want, & when
you see Mr. Wright again, I wish you would consult with him upon the
subject. Mr. Wright once began a piece in which our vases might be
introduced with the greatest propriety. I mean the handwriting upon the
Wall in the Palace of Belshazzar.’--Wedgwood to Bentley, May 5, 1778.”
Upon enquiry as to the present locality of the pictures Wright painted
for Wedgwood, we regret to learn that they were all lost to the family
early in the present century. It appears that they were sent to some
person in London for Exhibition, or for the purpose of being cleaned,
and whilst there were distrained for rent. The pictures were dispersed
and beyond recall before the Wedgwoods could interfere.
One of these pictures, a “Portrait of Sir Richard Arkwright,” was some
years afterwards presented to the Manchester Royal Exchange by Edmund
Buckley, Esq., where it now hangs.
On page 26, mention has been made of the friendship which existed
between Wedgwood and Wright, exemplified by Wright giving a painting
“to his friend Jos. Wedgwood, the patron and encourager of living
artists.” This friendship and generosity Wedgwood emulated upon the
occasion of the marriage of Wright’s daughter, Anna Romana, to Mr.
Cade, by the gift of a dinner service of 150 pieces.
Mr. F. G. Stephens sends me the following interesting copy of an
autograph letter:--
“Derby, 12th October, 1788.
“TO MISS SEWARD,[43] LICHFIELD.
“MADAM,
“I have repeatedly read your charming poem. The
subject you hold out for my pencil, as you have treated
it, is an excellent one; but how to paint a flaming sword
baffles my art. However, as soon as I find myself stout
enough, I intend to attack it. I admire the scenery. Would
it strengthen or weaken the character to lay it near the
sea, upon a rising ground, and through an opening among the
trees low in the picture to see the moon just rising above a
troubled sea? The point of time is when the sword is rising
out of the tomb, what kind of tomb should it be? To make it
a regular one would indicate Herver’s father had the usual
funeral rites performed, which the poem, I think, contradicts.
Your reflections upon this point will greatly oblige,
“Madam,
“Your most obedient h^{ble} serv^{t,}
“JOS^{H} WRIGHT.
“P.S.--Dr. Darwin, I hope, explained his mistake in returning
the poem before I had done with it.”
“May 5th, 1789.
MR. HAYLEY TO MRS. HAYLEY.
“I shall beg you & Mrs. Beridge to call upon friend
Wright & tell him, from me, that I & all the lovers of
painting with whom I have conversed, since my return to town,
consider his pictures this year as the flower of the Royal
Exhibition. His ‘Dying Soldier’ made me literally shed tears,
his ‘Moonlight’ enchanted.”
“Towards the end of August, 1776, Hayley and Mrs. Hayley went to Derby
for the pleasure of congratulating their friend Dr. Beridge on a
most seasonable marriage, that restored him from a state of perilous
discomfort to health and happiness. This visit was productive of
various delights. Hayley not only sympathised in the happiness of the
restored Physician, but in the weeks that he passed under his friend’s
roof he had the gratification of cultivating an intimacy with Wright,
the admirable painter of Derby, who, having injured his health by
too assiduous application to his art, had great comfort in the kind
attention he received from the friendly physician, & took a pleasure
in executing for Hayley two hasty portraits in chiaro-oscuro of Mrs.
Beridge & her husband, after painting for the Doctor the Poet of Sussex
and his ‘Eliza.’”[44]
The following is extracted from the “Life of Wm. Hayley, Esq.” by
John Johnson, LL.D., Rector of Welborne, in Norfolk:--“Hayley went to
Cambridge in 1763. Here he formed an intimate friendship with Thornton,
Beridge, & Clyfford, whose custom it was to breakfast together in the
apartments of each other. Hayley devoted some months of the year 1772
to his highly-valued friend Beridge, who had settled as a physician at
Derby. Hayley then copied in water-colours two bold sketches of scenery
near Matlock, lent to him by the very amiable artist Wright, of Derby,
with whom he began this year an intimacy that lasted to the death of
the painter, who frequently in his letters consulted his friend of
Sussex on the subjects of his pencil.”
The following extract is from the _Quarterly Review_, “Memoirs, &c., of
Wm. Hayley”:--
“Hayley’s son (Thomas Alphonso, the sculptor), was then in his
thirteenth year.... It had been Hayley’s first intention to educate his
son for the profession of physic, but many circumstances combined to
give him a strong inclination for that of the arts. During a visit to
Mrs. Hayley, Wright, of Derby, perceived in him so much aptitude for
painting, that he took pains in instructing him; and upon the report
of his progress, Flaxman wrote to his father, saying, ‘If you have
not quite determined to make him a physician, and if you think he has
talents for the Fine Arts, show yourself my friend indeed, and accept
my offer as frankly as I make it.’”
The offer was accepted, but this promising young artist died, after a
long illness, a few years later.
Extract from a letter from T. A. Hayley to his father, the poet:--
“Your letter to Mr. Wright, I delivered to his daughter, who happened
to be with us when it arrived, and he has been since so good as to give
me a few instructions in drawing.”
“A cordial friendship had long existed between Wright, the admirable
painter, of Derby, and the father of Alphonso; but the latter, in
writing to his friend, had only requested him to gratify the little
traveller with the permission of sometimes passing a leisure hour in
his painting-room, and with the indulgence of seeing him exercise his
pencil. The amiable artist, with that warm benevolence which formed
a striking part of his character, went beyond the request of his old
friend, and being more and more pleased with the intelligence, spirit,
and docility of his little visitor, spontaneously bestowed on him such
repeated instructions, as perfectly awakened in him a passion and a
genius for art, which, being afterwards inspirited by the affectionate
encouragement of his father, of Romney, and of Flaxman, ultimately
changed his very early professional destination from medicine to
sculpture.”
MR. HAYLEY TO MRS. HAYLEY.
“I am infinitely pleased with the first-fruits of the little
man’s northern pencil, and charmed with the kindness of my
friend Wright, in condescending to instruct such an urchin.”
T. A. HAYLEY TO MR. HAYLEY.
“I continue to draw, and you will be glad to hear with
the approbation of my great master. I shall have a great
collection of performances to show you when we meet. I hope it
will not be long before that happy moment arrives.”
MR. HAYLEY TO T. A. HAYLEY.
“I did not, I believe, send your medallion of Romney to
our amiable friend Wright. I wish you to present him such
a becoming mark of your gratitude for the extreme kindness
that we have ever received from him. Would to heaven I could
send him a good portion of health and spirits to attend your
interesting offering to the very amiable invalid. From all
of him I collect from Meyer, I fear his pencil has been very
inactive for some time. I always grieve when men of talents
are condemned by ill-health to involuntary indolence; and I
doubly grieve when that misfortune falls upon a friend whose
works I have often surveyed with delight.”
The following letter relates to the picture of the “Alchymist,” now
belonging to the Derby Corporation Art Gallery, having been presented
to that Town as a memorial to the painter, by a few of his admirers, in
1883:--
“DEAR WRIGHT,
“Dr. Turner will in his letter be more particular than I
can possibly be on a subject to which I am a stranger. I
have conceived that the chemist should be sitting on this
side the table, & turning his head towards glass upon his
assistant exclaiming upon the first appearance of the luminous
exhalation from the Retort into receiver of the phenomenon.
The lamp is still under the influence of the blast of wind
remaining in the bellows below which the chemist has been
using in another process. Whether this idea of the flame will
in the least answer your purpose you alone can judge; you will
wonder when you are told that I am painting History without
figure, Landscape without trees, and Shipwreck without water.
Mrs. Burdett joins me in love, compliments, and everything
else to your Family.
“Yrs sincerely,
“J. P. BURDETT.
“Liverpool, Feby. 4, 1771.”
From a letter on page 27, it appears that Wright took this picture with
him to Rome in 1774, where it was much admired.
[Illustration: GIRL WITH A BLADDER.
_Original picture in the possession of Mr. F. C. Arkwright, Willersley,
Cromford, Derbyshire._]
[Illustration: CONVERSATION PIECE.
THREE CHILDREN, RICHARD, ROBERT, AND PETER (SONS OF RICHARD
ARKWRIGHT).
_Original picture in possession of Mr. F. C. Arkwright, Willersley,
Cromford, Derbyshire._]
CHAPTER VIII.
CORRESPONDENCE OF WRIGHT WITH MR. DAULBY AND MR. J. L.
PHILIPS.--THE SHAKESPEARE GALLERY PICTURES.--DISPUTE ABOUT
PRICES.
“Derby, December 31^{st} 1779.
“TO D. DAULBY.
“The Empress of Russia has taken into Her capital collection
my two pictures of ‘Vesuvius’ & the ‘Girandolo,’ and given me
500 g^s for them which is a good reward accompanied with high
honour--40 g^s to a friend is as little as I can take for the
picture you saw of the Fireworks, if you mean that, if not it
will depend upon ye size & finishing of any other.”
“4^{th} June 1780.
“TO D. DAULBY.
“DEAR SIR,
“If nothing material happens to prevent me, I intend sending
by Shawcross on Monday morning, directed for M^{r.} Tate
as you desire, the picture of the ‘Girandolo’ which I hope
will get safe to hand, and meet with your and your friend’s
approbation. It is one of the highest finished pictures I
have painted. Cost me upwards of six weeks study, and was put
into ye exhibition at 100^{gs.} As you are only to send me
forty (which I must beg you to keep secret) you must look upon
it partly as a compliment on M^{r.} Tate’s account, and in
some degree a compliment to yourself as a well-wisher to and
encourager of the arts. With respect to the payment, I would
wish you to suit your convenience; any time in the course of
the next year will be agreeable to me.
“I have made no alteration in the picture, as I could not
with advantage, but most sincerely wish there had been such a
Rocket as you wish for. To add it now would destroy too much
ye unity of the picture.”
“TO D. DAULBY. “Derby, Nov 14^{th} 1785.
“DEAR SIR,
“The cavern with the figure of ‘Julia,’ which I exhibited in
the spring, is still in my possession. It was esteemed by the
artists the most sublime picture I ever painted, & so I think
myself. A rising moon always conveys to me great majesty.
“I think myself much honoured by your society. Pray make my
best compt^s to all the members, and believe me your much
obliged friend,
“JOS^{H.} WRIGHT.”
“I am going to have my picture of ‘Gibraltar’ raffled for by
eighty subscribers at five guineas a ticket. The subscription
is not yet opened publickly, though I have several names down.
“Danl. Daulby, Jun., Esq.,
“Liverpool.”
“MY DEAR SIR,
“Many thanks are due to you for the trouble you have had in
negotiating the business between Mr. Hardman and myself, and
of which I shall retain a grateful remembrance, as I have
had repeated proofs of your attention to my best interest, &
even in your last letter have anticipated my wish of making
my intention of disposing of the picture of ‘Gibraltar’ by
subscription as much known as possible in the circle of
your acquaintance, for it is not lawful without an act of
parliament to advertise a Raffle. I must, therefore, be
obliged to my friends to declare my intention of having eighty
subscribers at five guineas. I hope your friend Mr. Hardman
will not mention the price he gives for the pair of caverns,
as I have always had fifty guineas a piece for them of that
size.
“You say you hope I will excuse the free thoughts you have
intrusted me with respecting the large cavern with the figure
of ‘Julia.’ ’Tis the privilege of friends to be open to each
other, and if I knew what you really wished I would most
certainly accommodate myself to your inclinations. Will you
have the picture sent to you? If you approve of it keep it,
and pay me for it as shall best suit your conveniency. If you
do not like it return it, and we shall both be pleased, for as
it was esteemed by the artists the most sublime picture I ever
painted, I doubt not but I shall one day or other dispose of
it; and believe me, dear sir, with much esteem,
“Yours sincerely,
“JOS^{H.} WRIGHT.
“Derby, Jan. 14, 1786.
“Danl. Daulby, Jun., Esq.,
“Liverpool.”
“Derby, Feby. 7^{th} 1786.
“TO J. DAULBY, JUN.
“DEAR SIR,
“By the time this reaches you, I hope ‘Julia’ will be
near her journey’s end. I sincerely hope she will arrive in
good condition, and that ‘Abraham’ and ‘Isaac’ will not be
found to have lain too hard upon her. I did everything in my
power to keep her untouched and spotless. I should have sent
the picture off sooner, but the week the man who I trust to
pack my pictures was out, and the 2^{nd} Shawcross, after
promising me to take it, neglected it. ’Tis directed to Mr.
Tate, and to go by land carrier.
“I am persuaded by my friends to take the fashionable tour
of the Lakes next Autumn. I sounded my dear friend Tate upon
the scheme, but have not heard from him since. If we go your
company will be a happy addition, but I would have the party
small, none engaged in it but draftsmen, for reasons too
obvious to need mentioning.
“I am,
“Dear Sir, with much esteem,
“Yours very sincerely,
“JOS^{H.} WRIGHT.
“Dan^l Daulby, Jun., Esq^r
“Liverpool.”
“Derby, March 25^{th} 1786.
“DEAR SIR,
“I was sorry to be informed by our friend Tate of your
indisposition, and that you are still, by your own accts. a
cripple. Dr. Darwin, a very eminent physician of this town, is
very much disposed to gout, and he told me while he continued
in the use of wine he was affected with it. He left it off,
and drank nothing but ale and small beer. Still he had fits of
it, but much weakened. He then disused ale, drank nothing but
small beer, still he had a little gout about him. He has for
some time past drank nothing but water, and now he has no gout
at all. If this practice does not coincide with your opinion,
I know your good sense will excuse me taking the liberty of
mentioning to you, as your well-being is the sole motive.
“To Dan^l Daulby, Esq^r
“Liverpool.”
“Derby, Oct 5^{th} 1786.
“DEAR SIR,
“Mr. Smith gives this discription, which I have just received,
of the parts of your little picture:--‘The view is on the
shore of Posilipo in particular. The houses nearest in
view form part of the village of Mare Chiare, a place much
frequented by the lower class of people in Naples to spend
the summer evenings. They generally go by water, and are
regaled with hard eggs & good Falernian wine (the usual repast
brought from the neighbourhood of Pozzouli). The other house
or palazzo on the Hill in the distance is called the pallace
of 9 windows, but is inhabited only by servants. When you see
my good friend Turner make my best regards to him, and say
how much I am obliged to him & his friend M^r Whiatt for his
accurate account of Shakespear’s scenes. I am, dear sir, with
much regards,
“Yours,
“J. WRIGHT.
“To Danl. Daulby, Esqre.”
“Derby, Sep 4^{th} 1787.
“DEAR SIR,
“How welcome are the good tidings of returning health to my
dear Tate, which you have so kindly communicated to me. May
heaven speedily restore him to his former health & vigour. No
disease more compleatly debilitates the frame than a nervous
or putrid fever; and, if I have observed right, there is none,
considering the state the body is reduced to, from which it
is sooner reinstated. His premeditated attack upon the cold
roast beef was, I think, a very favourable presage of the
above observation. I sincerely hope he made an excellent
repast, and feels the good effect of it. Make my love to him
with every good wish for his felicity, in which this family
most cordially joins with me, and hope to have the pleasure
of seeing him here when convenient to him. I am going for
ten days (if it agrees with me) to Matlock. The Baths served
me some time ago, but from a particular circumstance, being
obliged to ride four & twenty miles the day I left, which so
fatigued me, my complaints returned upon me, nor can I wear
them off.
“’Tis now almost four months since I touched a pencil. Have no
particular complaint but general debility, which has reduced
me to so torpid a state I feel no inclination to pursue my art.
“I am, Dear Sir,
“Your most obedient serv^t
“JOS^H WRIGHT.
“M^r Jn^o Leigh Philips,
“Manchester.”
“5 May, 1789.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“I did not intend fixing a price upon my pictures in the
Exhibition till I got to Town, but having just received a
letter from M^{r.} Heath to know if the picture of the ‘Dead
Soldier’ was disengaged, and what value I set upon it, it
becomes necessary at once to fix the prices of those you
enquire after, and to have your answer by return of post, as
I must answer M^{r.} Heath’s letter. The picture of the ‘Dead
Soldier,’ framed, 100g^{s.} ‘Boy and Girl with a Bladder,’
50g^{s.} ‘Girl with a Charcoal Stick,’ 40g^{s.}
“I am very happy it was in my power to afford you and your
friends rational entertainment while with me. The felicity was
mutual, believe me; and that I am very sincerely yours,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.
“St. Ellens,
“5 May, 1789.
“My best compliments attend the ‘Triumvirate,’ in which
M^{rs.} Wright begs to join.”
“Derby, Dec. 4, 1789.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“Pray how is my friend Tate? He has given of late but a bad
account of himself; is obliged to live with great uniform
temperance, and deny himself that conviviality he is so well
calculated for. I wrote to him some little time ago, part of
which letter I make no doubt but you are acquainted with,
as it was my wish you should. You see I have enough of the
Devil in me to wish to retaliate upon the misguided Alderman
(Boydell), who I hear loses ground very fast, and will shortly
have none to work for him but his half-starved creatures.
“I am engaged at present and shall be for some time with
portraits, so that my historical pictures are, I fear, very
distant. However, I do not lose sight of them, and as the
hour’s exercise I daily take on horseback seems to contribute
much to my health, I hope to be a tiptop by and by to attack
’em.
“However light my friend Smith made of the gout when you was
with him, it has proved a serious affair to him, subjecting
him to much pain and a long disuse of his pencil. Pity it is a
man’s industry should prove an evil to him, and his laudable
endeavours to provide for his tender offspring frustrate its
own intention. Adieu, my good friend, and believe me yours
very sincerely,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.”
“St. Ellens, 24 June, 1791.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“Yesterday I received a letter from the Sec^y of the Spring
Gardens Exhibition to know the price I had fixed upon the
picture of “Antigonus,” a gentleman having applied for it, and
desired him to write to me. Mr. Barrow, the Sec^y told him
the conditions which I meant to part with the large pictures,
namely, that they should be engraved from, by capital artists
(which was not strictly what I meant). To this he had no
objection, and assured him if he purchased the picture it
should be engraved by M^{r.} Middiman, or some artist of equal
reputation. It should seem from hence the person who is about
the picture buys it with an intent to have a plate made from
it, which will preclude my having it done by Heath, though
from what you said to me last on that head, there are little
grounds for hope of that ever taking place. Pray do you know
the character of Mr. Middiman as an engraver?
“I should not have troubled my friend with this business (tho’
I am at all times and all occasions happy to have his advice)
had not my friend Tate, when last here, asked the price of the
‘Storm’ for your Brother, M^{r.} H. Philips, at which time
I did not give him a decisive answer. Therefore I think it
incumbent on me, before I treat with the Gentleman, to inform
you the price is 100g^{s.} and shall be glad of your answer by
return of post if convenient.
“The extremely cold weather immediately succeeding very hot,
has diseased me very much. I have had for some time past a
nervous fever hanging about me, and am now much disturbed
with an inflammation on my liver. Art stands still. Adieu, my
good friend, and believe me, with much respect,
“Yours very sincerely,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.”
“Derby, Sep. 24^{th} 1792.
“MY DEAR PHILIPS,
“This morning I have sent off by Shawcross a case addressed to
you, containing the book of drawings after Mic. Angelo, and
a slight sketch of a wild scene which I painted some years
ago. I looked it up the other day, and if you think it worth a
place in your collection, please accept it with my esteem.
“The picture of the ‘Ponte Salerno’ is in such a state I shall
not be able to finish it at present. I retouched the sky some
time ago & some other parts of the picture, & the colours are
changed in a most abominable manner. One never can depend upon
fresh colours laid on old. I hope the little picture I have
sent you will not share the same fate. I have finished the
‘Storm’ except the figure of Antigonus. Your Brother Frank
seemed to like it much; indeed those who have seen it give it
the preference to the other. I have brought ye ship nearer,
which heightens the distress of the scene; and being much
larger, the masts go above the horizon, and make a ballance to
the other side of the picture.
“I am going to begin a cottage on fire for a Gentleman at
Bristol. He has offered me 50g^{s.} to finish it highly. I
have also finished Tate’s ‘Moonlight,’ which is much admired.
I think I shall send it with the ‘Storm,’ not by way of
receiving the cash--for that I forbid--but to give you taste
and pleasure, for I flatter myself it will. Perhaps if he has
no place to hang it, you would give it house room till wanted.
“When I have thought a little more about manufacturing
pictures, and have digested a plan for such business, I shall
like it much, if I can get a sale for them. I have got two
or three on the stocks. The one is finished, the other far
advanced. The finished one is on a pannel, which I had by me,
but the smooth surface is not calculated for expedition. The
subject is ‘The Lake of Albano,’ sunset. Being done from one
pallet, there is great unity and harmony in the colouring.
When you have received the case, pray give me a line, for I
shall wish to know Mic. Angelo is safe in your possession.
Adieu, my good friend. Give my respects to M^{rs.} Philips and
all my friends, in which comp^{l.} Romana wishes to unite.
“I am, very sincerely yours,
“J. W.
“To J. L. Philips.”
“Nov. 29^{th} 1792.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“To have read such flattering accounts of my picture from all
hands is highly satisfactory to me, and none more so than
the last. With respect to the payment, as you are so kind to
take my cash into your hands, I wish you would place it with
the rest, and in a few posts I will remit between 5 & £600
to be added to the other sums. I thank you for your friendly
advice about the ‘Indian Widow,’ and tell our friend Tate,
who I suppose will communicate it to M^{r.} McNiven, that in
consideration of a little of his assistance to lay out my
property to advantage, I will deduct 10g^{s.} I sent it off by
Shawcross last Monday, and hope it will be safe in Manchester
ere this gets to hand. I have remembered the outline of
‘Vesuvius’ for friend Tate, which I should think may be
enveloped in smoke, but no fire should appear, indeed the hot
Lava does not show itself by daylight.
“I am glad to hear plates are in readiness for Mic. Angelo. I
fear I shall never do my part; my hand is too unsteady now for
lines. Adieu, my good friend. Romana wishes to join in best
remembrances to you & M^{rs.} Philips & your family, to our
dear friend Tate, Mr. Moreland, &c.
“Dear Sir,
“Your much obliged friend,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.
“Derby, Nov. 29th 1792.”
“Pray what is your opinion of the Stocks at this time? I have
a little property in, and have some thoughts of selling out.
I bought in about 76. The little picture on pannel is too
square; the right measure of ye frame at the end should cover
⅛^{th} in., and ye top and bottom ½″, which will bring the
picture into better proportion.”
The Plates for Mic. Angelo here alluded to evidently refer to the
reproduction on copper of some of Wright’s sketches from the “Sistine
Chapel,” for we find Wright sending the sketches to Philips on Sep.
24th, 1792. There is in existence an impression from copper of one
of them, partly in aquatint, but whether from the hand of Wright or
Philips it is now impossible to say.
“Derby, 31^{st} Dec., /92.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“Enclosed I send you Mess^{rs.} Crompton’s Draught on
Mess^{rs.} Ayton, Brassey, Lees, & Co., their Bankers, Lombard
Street, for £460, payable in fourteen days, which you will
be kind enough to acknowledge the receipt of as soon as you
can make it convenient. What you said in your last respecting
money matters makes an apology on this account unnecessary.
Nevertheless, I must say I feel the obligation very sensibly;
and now let me thank you for a Barrel of excellent oisters.
Your Brother H. spent part of a day with us. I was in a
working humour, so I did not let his visit stop the progress
of my pencil. He sat by me, and seemed pleased with the rapid
advance of my picture, for it was one of my playthings, or
sketches that I was engaged with, which, with six others,
I intend to send you next week for yours and my friends’
inspection. ‘A Morning Effect of the Lake of Albano’ is a
companion to Wilson’s ‘Evening Effect,’ for my dear friend
Tate. I wish it may be found a meet one. I have just prepared
a canvas the size of Tate’s ‘Moonlight,’ for an evening
effect on another view on the River Tay at Dunkeld, which,
if care and study will accomplish it, I intend it to be the
best picture I ever painted. I know not how it is, tho’ I am
engaged in portraits and made a complete dead colour of a half
length yesterday, I find myself continually stealing off and
getting to Landscapes.
“JOS^H WRIGHT.”
“Derby, 17^{th} January, 1793.
“MY DEAR FRIEND,
“I am glad to find, by my friend Tate, the box of Sketches are
got safe to hand, and that you approve of them. They ought,
as my friend may see by the direction, to have been delivered
almost a week ago. I can’t help doing too much to them as
sketches, and if any other person than yourself was to have
the culling of them, I should certainly charge something more
for those that were selected. You are then indebted to me for
three 30g^s, and if Tate cannot get more for the remaining
four, they must go at that price. I am sorry your Brother Hy.
did not fix the price for ‘Antigonus,’ as he knew all the
circumstances. He was certainly the proper person to have
done it, but since it is left to me, I must observe, I have
no claim upon him for more than 100g^s, as I offered him the
other picture for that sum; but in justice to myself I must
say it deserves more, considering the pains I took with it,
and the charges of the frame, &c., amounting to near £13; but
whether he chooses to give me the advanced price, £12Og^{s.},
must be at his option.
“Very Sincerely,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.
“I am sorry I cannot fulfil my engagement with M^{r.}
Moreland. M^{r.} Gisborne does not think himself at liberty to
divulge Smith’s mode of washing with water-colours.
“To M^{r.} J. L. Philips.”
“Feby. 26, 1793.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“M^{r.} W^{m.} Hardman called last night. I showed him the
pictures by candle-light, but I don’t think he could see them
well. They did not seem to reach his feelings, except a small
one of an effect of fire, seen through a dark group of trees,
with a large piece of water reflecting the objects about it.
Had he not in his possession the cottage, I believe he would
have purchased it. ’Tis a new subject, and rather a favourite
with me. If there should be an exhibition this year,
independent of ye Royal Academy, I perhaps may show it to the
public, as also the companion to the ‘Moonlight,’ in my friend
Tate’s hands, which, now being near finished, and if I flatter
not myself, will be a tolerable picture. ’Tis full of air, and
has depth, two necessary requisites for a Landscape.
“I have a great inclination to send you this fire piece to
look at. I think it would give you pleasure. If Manchester was
nearer I certainly would.
“How goes Mic. Angelo on? Can you give me _proof_ of your
abilities yet?
“I often wish I lived with you, that my productions might
receive the benefit of your strictures ere they go out into
the world, & myself enjoy your friendly conversation; but my
lot is cast otherwise. Adieu, my dear friend, and whether near
or distant, believe me ever yours,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.
“J. L. Philips.”
“King Street, Feby. 19, 1794.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“The day after you left us I set to work upon the picture of
‘Vesuvius,’ to remove the stiffness of the line of Lava made
across it (and which always dissatisfied me), by bringing
the trees more over it; but it would not do, for what proved
beneficial to the one was injurious to the other, by bringing
the groupe of trees & rock much in a line. I have therefore
illuminated the ground, over which the Lava is about to pass,
very strongly, set fire to the plants & raised a fresh smoke,
which here & there passes across the lava, & effectually
does the business. I have also increased the quantity &
brilliancy of the smoke which arises from the upper surface of
the lava, so that the centre of the picture is more lighted
up, & the general effect much improved. I have added the
forked lightning, which ever attends the dark smoke, & which
increases the horror of the subject without disturbing the
effect; and on Tuesday I intended putting in ye figures & the
finishing touches to your picture, when, alas! I was suddenly
seized with the sore throat & fever, a common complaint here.
My lungs (a weak part) have suffered much. I have a very bad
cough; my frame is much debilitated; the fever is abated.
Thank you for your attention (which is ever awake to serve
your friends) to ye exhibition business. As they have _long
ago thrown me on their shelf_, I do not feel inclined to sue
for protection, but perhaps when my nerves are more settled I
may see it in another light.
“Yours most sincerely,
“J. W.”
“Your picture of ‘Vesuvius,’ and one at Dunkeld, would have
been at Manchester before now, had not the frames of the
pictures which I exhibited been materially damaged at the
Academy. M^{r.} Milbourne has orders to put them into good
condition, & send them to you when done.
“Derby, June 29, 1794.”
“Derby, Dec. 27, 1794.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“Your relation (Mr. N. Philips), to whom I some time ago sold
the picture of the ‘City of Florence,’ called upon me last
week, & engaged the picture with the ‘Rainbow,’ the ‘Cottage
on Fire,’ & the small ‘Sea Storm,’ which I find he intends
sending to America. I am sorry the two first leave the Kingdom.
“He seems anxious that I should paint him the ‘Siege of
Toulon,’ for which he will not exceed 100^{gs.} The scenery
must be very complicated, & so many objects & incidents cannot
be painted for that sum. I sometime ago refused a like sum for
any sized picture I would paint of the ‘Siege of Gibraltar.’
“Did you not give me some hopes of seeing drawings by an
officer of the engagement at Toulon, or have I dreamt it? Pray
inform me soon, as I must satisfy Mr. Philips.
“JO^S WRIGHT.”
“Your letter has poured balsam into my wound. I have heard
nothing but humiliating observations on my pictures, which
have tended much to the inactivity of my pencil for some time
past. What a mere machine am I become, depressed and rendered
useless by a little censure, & put into motion again by a
little flattery. I really believe my enemies might easily
persuade me I have no pretensions to paint. What a thing have
these weak nerves made of me.”
“Feby., 1795.
“TO J. L. PHILIPS,
“I am sorry to learn from my friend Tate that he does
not acquit himself in the pictures of the Lakes to his
expectation. He is acquainted with my principles, such as
they are. I wonder he does not with more certainty avail
himself of them; but they are different subjects, and I have
sometime seen effects in ye country repugnant to common-sense
principles, and which I could by no means account for. I have
a picture in hand of the sort of Keswick Lake.
“Did you pick up much painting knowledge in your late visit to
the Captain’s, or only the quackery of the art? Would I had as
much strength as the Captain, I flatter myself I would carry
the art a great way.”
“30 March, 1795.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“I am sorry to find Heath still procrastinates. He was to have
begun on the ‘Dead Soldier’ in good earnest last Midsummer.
Another is approaching fast, & nothing more done to it. I
despair seeing it finished, & many of the subscribers to
my portion of the prints are dead. Well, patience, as the
Italians say, & you have as much need of it as I.
“The very severe winter we have had has almost demolished me.
Just after Xmas I paid a visit to my friend Gisborne. It was a
young trick of me to sally forth at that time of the year, but
he tempted me with sending his carriage; and wrapping myself
up in Flannels, I thought myself invulnerable. Unfortunately
for me it proved otherwise. I have been dreadfully ill
ever since. I am now wounded at so many points. I despair
of ever being well again. I have had Darwin’s advice, and
about a fortnight ago he ordered me to have a hot bath
every night, from 94 to 96 degrees of heat, in which I stay
half-an-hour. It has certainly braced me, & removed some
disagreeable sensations, but I am still too much oppressed
to think of handling the pencil, & what is worse I feel not
ye least inclination to paint. I am glad to hear my friend
Tate succeeds so well in water colors. I dare say when the
application of them is well understood, it is pleasant work.
Make my best regards to him, to Mr. Philips, and to all my
friends, and believe me with much esteem yours most truly,
“JOS^H WRIGHT.”
“May 29 /95.
“I wish for my own sake--as well as for your feelings--for I
know you participate in the good or ill which attends your
friends that I could give a better account of myself. I have
now been five months without exercising my pencil, and without
a hope that I shall again resume it. I seem to have outlived
my art, a reflection, tho’ in no way favourable to the
restoration of my health, will continually obtrude itself upon
me.
“I am glad to hear my good friend has laid hold of his brushes
again. Paper and camel hair pencils are better adapted to the
amusement of ladies than the pursuit of an artist. Give my
love to him, & tell him he should not avail himself of my long
silence, the effect only of ill-health. I wish to hear from
him.
“I understand by your relation y^t you have built a steam
house, which is productive beyond credit, & that you are
over-run with cucumbers. If this is really the case, pray let
2 or 3 run over to Derby. Am not I very impudent?”
“Derby Oct 2^{nd} 1795.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“I take up my pen with much pleasure to communicate to my dear
friends at Manchester, ‘who participate in my welfare,’ that
a few days ago, after a truce to my pencil for ten _dreadful
months_, I felt the dawn of inclination to resume it, and on
Friday last made, with trembling hands, some feeble efforts.
Disuse and the loss of much strength has made the employment
rather vexatious, but facility will come in proportion to my
practice.
“I thought I should never have had it in my power to finish
the pictures your relative engaged, but they are now within a
few hours of being compleated.
“The picture of the little elegant bit of scenery at Rydall,
which my friend Holland mentioned to you, is not near being
finished. The water indeed is further advanced than ye rest of
ye picture, for I was keen to produce an effect which I had
never seen in painting of shewing the pebbles at the bottom
of the water with the broken reflections on its surface.
But I have not succeeded to my wish, & Holland, who sees
all my works thro’ the most partial medium, has colored his
description too highly. So highly finished is that little bit
of nature that to do it justice it should be painted upon ye
spot.
“Your account of the Isle of Man makes me wish to see it.
We often see fine shaped rocks than fine coloured ones; the
patches of different colours are not large and distinct enough
to have effect at a distance. The different hues are produced
by small mosses rather than by original colours in the stones.
“JOS^H WRIGHT.”
“Derby, Dec 18^{th} 1795.
“MY DEAR SIR,
“I am at all times very happy to hear from you, and if at any
time there is the appearance of omission, the multiplicity of
your avocations make your apology.
“I have had too many substantial proofs of your attention to
my interest to doubt ye sincerity of your friendship to me. I
should be highly to blame, without cause, to deprive myself of
so inestimable a blessing.
“I have put the last touches to your little finished bit of
scenery of ‘Rydal Waterfall,’ which you have commissioned me
to send you, which I will do as soon as it is dry enough to
pack safely; but, that you may not take it upon the character
of my friends, who, as I said before are partial and sanguine,
you shall, if it meets not with your entire approbation, have
the power of returning it. Your feelings upon the occasion may
be different to theirs, and I would not have you buy a pig in
a poke. It is a very intricate subject, and I never wished
myself out of a wood so much in my life.
“I shall continue to work a little almost every day, & if
the spasms upon my lungs keep off I hope to gain strength. I
cannot describe the pleasure I feel upon resuming the pencil
when I am tolerably well.
“JOS^H WRIGHT.”
“I have sent off to Nottingham your kinsman’s pictures, where
they are to remain sometime ’ere they are to be sent to
America.”
“Derby, 11 Apl., 1796.
“Ill-luck ever attends my pursuits. A few days after you left
me, I was again visited with an asthmatic fit, which was in a
day or two succeeded by a second, whereby I was so debilitated
I could not employ my pencil at all for many days, & have not
since found my exertions equal to the great picture; have
therefore given up all thoughts of exhibiting it this year at
least, whatever I may be induced another, but, from abuses I
have received from the Academy, I never feel very anxious to
get among them. They are in general an illiberal set of men, &
the less one has to do with ’em the better.
“JO^S WRIGHT.”
Wright painted two pictures for Alderman Boydell’s Shakspeare Gallery,
viz:--“Prospero in his cell, showing a visionary spectacle to Ferdinand
& Miranda,” for which he received 300 guineas; and “The Storm in the
‘Winter’s Tale,’” for which 140 guineas was paid.
Wright addressed the following letter to the Alderman respecting the
former picture:--
“Derby, 12^{th} March, 1789.
“SIR,
“I should have sent you the dimensions of the picture by
return of post, but it was till to-day so folded up it could
not be measured with any accuracy. The exact size is 12ft. 0¼
in. by 8ft. 6in., to hang horizontally. It will be necessary
to have a good straining frame, with the inner edge well
rounded off, for if left square it always makes a mark in the
picture. The reason I mention a fresh straining or wedging
frame is, the one the picture is on has been cut in so many
places to accommodate it to my painting-room; it is too weak
to use again but for the purpose of painting on, if I should
again have occasion for so large a one.
“The picture is now finished, unless a fresh eye discover
anything in a few days to be corrected. I most heartily unite
with you in wishing I may make a conspicuous figure in your
exhibition.
“The picture by the time you will want it, will, I hope, be
dry enough to roll upon a cylinder without damage, which I
think the safest way of sending it, for it is much too large
to go flat.
“I am, Sir,
“Your very humble Serv^{t.}
JOSEPH WRIGHT.
“Mr. Alderman Boydell,
“Cheapside,
“London.”
Before Wright painted the Bear in the “Storm,” he wrote to Gilpin for
his opinion, who sent him some sketches of Bears (one of which was
introduced in the picture), with the following letter:--[45]
“Knightsbridge, Wednesday.
“DEAR SIR,
“I send you the enclosed sketch as soon as possible, that
I may have time to make a more finished one if it does not
answer your purpose. If it does not, please let me know by
return of post, and I will go a Bear hunting to the Tower,
or somewhere or other, and sketch one from nature, if
possible.... I think with you, that the pursuit is better than
the horrid act of tearing.
“Your sincere Friend and Servant,
“S. GILPIN.”
Hayley, in his life of Romney, thus alludes to Wright and his
engagement to paint for Boydell’s Shakspeare Gallery:--“Nov. 4^{th}
1786. Mr. Josiah Boydell entertained the little party of friends to
the projected Gallery whom he has named in his preface to Shakspeare.
I wrote nothing in its favour except a brief sketch, and a letter
to engage my friend Wright, of Derby, to paint for the Gallery. My
application to Wright was made at the earnest desire of the Alderman.”
It appears that when the time for payment came, Wright was dissatisfied
with what Boydell offered to him for his picture of “Ferdinand and
Miranda.” Whether Hayley, the poet, who appears to have been the
go-between for the painter & Boydell, placed the matter before Wright
in such a light that Boydell did not afterwards approve of, it is now
impossible to say. Wright, however, wrote the following letter, which
drew forth a characteristic reply from Boydell, who adopts the usual
plan of “abusing the plaintiff.”
“Derby, July 26^{th} 1789.
“TO ALDERMAN BOYDELL.
“SIR,
“I understood by my friend M^{r.} Hayley, that, forming a
Gallery of pictures from the works of Shakespeare was first
agitated in a private party, of which he was one; that the
artists were to be classed, ye first class to consist of Sir
Joshua, M^{r.} West, M^{r.} Romney, &c., and your humble
servant; that those in that class were to have 300g^{s.} a
picture, more or less, according to the size & work they
might have in them; and that he was extremely happy to find
the artists had entered upon this most laudable work with a
spirit & liberality that reflected the highest honour upon
them, resolving to sacrifice interest to fame. On these
grounds I began and finished my picture upon the largest size
then proposed. In the course of executing my picture, which,
through ill-health, was much protracted, I learnt from good
authority that ye original plan was quite deserted, that you
bought pictures of any size (and which were not designed for
the Gallery), and that the artists painted their subjects on
such sized canvasses as they thought proper, and made the best
terms they could with you. This, I have reason to believe, is
the case, from what I saw and heard when in Town last. Upon
your asking me when in the Gallery (together) what I expected
for my picture, I told you that, being very remote from the
scene of business, I was unacquainted with the prices you had
given; that I should leave myself to you, not doubting but
you would pay me as you had ye rest, upon which, pointing to
one of M^{r.} Northcote’s pictures, you answered, We give him
25Og^{s.} And, pray, said I, what do you give to M^{r.} West
for his? Oh, replied you, was I to pay all ye artists as I
have done M^{r.} West, I might soon shut up the Gallery. I
felt much mortified at this unworthy treatment, for such I
cannot but think it, and left you.
“Now, Sir, I knew at the time, and have been confirmed in it
since, that you gave Sir Joshua 5OOg^s for his small picture,
and a very considerable fee besides; also, that you gave
M^{r.} West 5OOg^s for his picture, and yet you were paving
the way to offer me a much less sum. Is not my picture as
large as M^{r.} West’s? Has it not equal, nay, more, work
in it? Is it not as highly finished? And has not the public
spoken as well of it? Then why should you attempt to make a
difference in our price? Till you can give me a satisfactory
reason why I should take less, I shall certainly expect the
same. Had the work been carried on by the artists, with that
generous and laudable spirit which my friend Hayley held out
to me, I would have scorned to have been behind the most
liberal of them; but for me alone to adhere to the first plan
would be the highest folly, as I should thereby not only lose
the pecuniary advantage, but endanger my reputation, a point
which I consider as of far greater moment.
“I mentioned the circumstances to some of my friends in Town,
& to others since my return into the country, and they all
agree that I have strong reasons to complain of your treatment.
“I am, Sir,
“Your Obedient
“JOS^H WRIGHT.
“P.S.--I heard also when in Town from very respectable Artists
that you had agreed to give M^{r.} Copley 1000g^s for his
picture. If so, your conduct in this business is most strange.”
“Cheapside, Aug. 3 /89.
“SIR,
“I sit down to answer the most extraordinary Letter I ever yet
received, wherein you inform me of a great many circumstances
that I never heard of concerning the conduct of a work that I
thought I was somewhat acquainted with.
“You begin your letter by telling me that you understood that
I had classed the Painters according to their rank, and you
gave me a list of the first class, in which you place your
own name. Now, Sir, I never presumed to class the Painters. I
leave that to the public, to whose opinion and judgment I bow
with great reverence & respect.
“At the same time I am free to confess that had I ever
presumed to have classed the historical painters of this
country, perhaps M^{r.} Wright’s name would not have stood
exactly where he has been pleased to place it himself.
“In the line of landscape, I confess it would have been a
different consideration.
“I find it would be too tedious to go through all the
ridiculous assertions that your very extraordinary Letter
contains. I shall therefore leave you to enjoy your notions,
however unfounded, and proceed immediately to business. I
never offered you any specific price for your picture. You
asked me what I had given for pictures of that size. I told
you the prices. You knew that 300 guineas was the utmost
stipulated sum, and, in one word, Sir, I will not give you any
more.
“And this I offer, not so much for the merits of the picture,
as that you nor no man may have reason to complain of my
want of liberality. You are, indeed, the first that ever has
complained on this subject, with what justice I leave the
world to judge. When I look at the merits of the picture, it
deserves no such sum; for however excellent the landscape part
of it may be, the figures are very faulty, and so much out of
drawing, that it will give no little trouble to correct it for
the engravers.
“As to whatever prices I have given, or may hereafter give
to any artist, in this or any other undertaking, I shall
certainly not consult Mr. Wright, and his attempting to dictate
to me on this subject is perfectly ridiculous.
“I am, Sir,
“Your humble Servant,
“JOHN BOYDELL.
“Copy, J. R. Harrison.”
Notwithstanding the Alderman’s disparaging remarks, Wright painted two
other Shaksperian subjects, viz.: “The Tomb Scene in Romeo & Juliet,”
and another of the “Storm,” with Antigonus pursued by a bear. The
former he never sold; the latter was purchased by Mr. Henry Philips.
Reference to these two pictures will be found in the following
correspondence:--
“Derby, June 17^{th} 1790.
“MY DEAR FRIEND,
“I cannot stomach the application you wish me to make to him,
to come forward in my defence. Nor if I could, do I think it
would be of any use. Long, who, our friend Tate knows, is his
most intimate friend, & whose judgment he holds in the first
rank, is intimately connected with the proprietors of the
work. Therefore, there is but little room to hope he would do
anything to serve me, that would in any wise injure a work
they themselves were the first planners of.
“I am extremely obliged to you for the very flattering account
you have sent me. Things seem to work to our wishes, & the
Alderman’s conduct will, I hope, soon be completely dissected.
I much wonder that Vasari has not appeared again ere now.
Perhaps he is intimidated. There appeared an odd paragraph in
one of ye papers a few posts ago: ‘The Prince of Pick-pockets
has given instructions to his attorney to prosecute a printer
for a libel on his character.’ As yet nothing has appeared
that will come under that denomination, _I hope_.
“I would most willingly write to M^{r.} Heath respecting
plates being made from the two pictures, but I hardly know
what to propose to him; & if, on account of the Picture of
‘Romeo & Juliet,’ which has been so much decry’d, he should
have objections, it might embarrass him to decline it to
me. You have had so much trouble on my account, I really am
sorry to ask you to write a short letter to sound him in the
business; but he would be more explicit to you than me.
“J. WRIGHT.”
“MY DEAR FRIEND,
“The two pictures I exhibited last year in the R. Academy of
‘Romeo & Juliet’ and Antigonus in the ‘Storm,’ were certainly
painted too dark, sad emblems of my then gloomy mind. I
have simplified the back ground of the former, enlarged the
parts, and thrown more light into the Tomb, so that Julia is
bright without being a spot; & the picture of the ‘Storm,’ I
have near gone over the whole; rendering the parts clear &
distinct, without weakening the character of Gloominess, and,
if a man may be allowed to judge & speak of his own works,
they are much improved indeed. I wish Heath was to see ’em
now. I think he would like them, & perhaps indulge us with
plates from them. I have a strange wish to see them well
engraved as they are, though unworthy of adding to Boydell’s
collection. I intended to have exhibited them at the Lyceum,
but they[46] have quarrelled amongst themselves and don’t
make one. Do you think Macklin would hang them in his room
a month or two, for I wish to have them better seen by the
publick than they have been. I communicate this to you to
judge of, because I well know you regard both my interests
& honour. I have heard nothing from Macklin respecting my
painting for him. Tom Tate some time ago told me that Rogers,
of Liverpool, who is concerned in the work, asked him if he
thought, upon proper application being made, I would undertake
any subjects, for it was much their wishes that I should be
concerned. Macklin used me querely in his first scheme, & his
application, if he does not wish to engage me, will now come
with an ill grace.
“JO^S WRIGHT.
“St. Ellens,
“14^{th} Feby., /91.”
CHAPTER IX.
DEATH OF MRS. WRIGHT.--REMOVES TO QUEEN STREET,
DERBY.--WRIGHT’S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.--MR. J. LEIGH PHILIPS
ON THE CHARACTER OF WRIGHT.--SALE OF WRIGHT’S PICTURES IN
LONDON AND DERBY.--LETTERS FROM J. HOLLAND AND REV. THOS.
GISBORNE.
On August 19^{th} 1790, Mrs. Wright died of consumption, aged 41. This
loss inflicted a crushing domestic blow to her husband, whose health
now began seriously to fail, and from his MS. Book we are enabled by
the following receipt to fix the time when Wright left St. Helen’s
house (which was soon after pulled down), and by the name of the owner
of the property, Mr. Bainbrigge, we are enabled to identify the house
in which Wright resided down to the time of his death. The receipt is
as follows:--
“May 1, 1793. Settled with M^r Wright for half a year’s rent (Twenty
pounds) due Lady Day last.
“THOMAS BAINBRIGGE, Jun.”
The house is No. 26, in Queen Street, and is the first house in the
Parish of St. Alkmund--St. Michael’s being the adjoining parish. The
Family Vault was in St. Michael’s Church, but we find the Painter’s
family are interred in the church of the parish in which they lived.
His niece, Miss Wright, says:--“He removed to a house in Queen
Street, near to St. Alkmund’s Ch.; there the windows all looked into
the street, or upon buildings at the back part. The gardens being
beyond them, it was a dull prospect for him.” The house was roomy and
substantial, with a large garden, which in Wright’s time would be open
to the Cherry Orchard, now Orchard Street. The premises now open into
Chapel Street. This house afterwards became the post office, until the
year 1840, and is now in the occupation of Mr. Allen.
The buildings appear to be in much the same state now as they were
at that time. Some outbuildings obstruct the view of the garden, an
archway giving the only glimpse of what was then open country, and
this peep was obtained by looking through a very pretty wrought iron
gate, no doubt from the hammer and anvil of Bakewell, who has left many
examples of his art and skill in the town and neighbourhood. A drawing
of the gate is here given, as it is worthy of preservation.
During the latter part of 1795 he became too ill to use his pencil, and
when his first grandchild was born in 1796, he talked of introducing
her in an unfinished portrait of her mother, in the place of a music
book, but the picture was left unaltered, as were the portraits of his
brother and his wife. He was so pleased with his brother’s portrait at
the first sitting, that he said “he should be afraid of touching it
again, lest the likeness should not be so good,” and so it remained.
[Illustration: GARDEN ENTRANCE TO HOUSE IN QUEEN STREET, DERBY.]
In the month of May, 1797, he took to his bed; about this time his nose
bled to such a degree as to prevent his lying down, and from the feeble
state he was in, he had not strength to hold up his head for long
together. A broad ribbon was therefore tied to each side of the head
of the bed, upon which he rested his chin, and this simple contrivance
afforded him great relief. His sufferings, from a complication of
diseases, were very great, and he gradually became weaker. His daughter
Harriet attended him night and day during this his last illness, and on
the afternoon of the 29th of August, 1797, he expressed his pleasure
at having those around him he had always loved. About two hours before
he died, his friend, Mr. Tate, of Liverpool, having come to Derby, was
anxious to see him, and was admitted. Wright seemed pleased to see his
old friend, though he could scarcely articulate, but he drew with his
fingers upon the sheet, as if expressive of the pleasure they formerly
enjoyed together in following that pursuit. He was buried on September
1st, 1797, in St. Alkmund’s Church, and the following inscription was
placed on a tablet[47] erected to his memory:--
IN THE MIDDLE ISLE, OPPOSITE TO THIS PILLAR, ARE DEPOSITED THE
REMAINS OF JOSEPH WRIGHT, ESQ.,
PAINTER.
HE DIED AUGUST 29TH, 1797, IN THE 63RD YEAR OF HIS AGE.
His well earn’d Merit in his Works is shown,
Where Taste and Genius mark him for their own.
[Illustration: MONUMENT IN ST. ALKMUND’S CHURCH, DERBY.]
On an old paper, on which was written the above couplet, there was also
the following lines:--
His age & Death alone are here expressed,
All friends to Taste and Genius know the rest.
Mr. Jno. Leigh Philips, who wrote an account[48] of Wright shortly
after his death, thus writes of him:--
“In his person he was rather above the middle size, and when young was
esteemed a very handsome man; his company was then much courted on
account of his pleasing vivacity and convivial habits; his eyes were
prominent and very expressive; in his manners he was mild, unassuming,
modest to an extreme, generous and full of sensibility, with the
perfect carriage of a gentleman; honourable and punctual in all his
transactions, he entertained the most utter contempt for everything
like meanness or illiberality; and his good heart felt but too
poignantly for the misconduct of others.
“I may truly observe of him that he stedfastly acted on the principle
of always continuing to learn; from conversation, from examining
pictures, and, above all, from the study of nature, he was constantly
endeavouring to advance in the knowledge of his art; and to this
habit, as wise as it was modest, of considering himself through life
as a learner, no small share of his excellence may be ascribed. This
disposition was naturally attended with a candid readiness to adopt,
from the practice of other artists, new modes of proceeding, when they
appeared to him rational, and to make trial in studies on a small scale
of such as seemed in a tolerable degree promising.
“We shall conclude our account of Mr. Wright, in his private capacity
as a man, with observing that he repeatedly evinced much liberality,
by giving valuable pictures to individuals among his private friends,
or to persons to whom he thought himself obliged. In various instances
these gifts were _manifestly_ disinterested; and they were always
conferred in a very pleasing manner, which declined rather than sought
the expression of gratitude.
“In addition to the character which he merits for the executive part
of his art, it is pleasing to record, that in his works the attention
is ever directed to the cause of virtue: that his early historical
pictures consist of subjects either of rational or moral improvement,
and he has succeeded admirably in arresting the gentler feelings of
humanity, for what eye or heart ever remained unmoved at the sight
of ‘Maria,’ Sterne’s ‘Captive,’ or the ‘Dead Soldier.’ In his works
‘not one immoral, one corrupted thought’ occurs to wound the eye of
delicacy, or induce a wish that so exquisite a pencil had not found
employment on more worthy subjects. His pictures may be considered as
the reflexion of his own delicate mind, and will be ranked by posterity
as treasures worthy the imitation of succeeding generations.”
The following letter from Mr. Philips to Dr. Wright is of interest:--
“Manchester, Nov. 18, 1797.
“DEAR SIR,
“You will receive herewith a dozen copies of my account of
your late worthy Brother, which I have got printed more
carefully than was the case in the magazine, in which several
errors had escaped correction. Some few still remain as they
were printed in London, & I had no proof-sheet sent down. I
will thank you to present a copy to Mr. Holland when you have
an opportunity, with my respectful compliments. I have only
to lament my inability to do justice to the character of my
much-valued friend, as it requires abilities much beyond my
scope to point out the beauties of his works, which go far
beyond every modern effort of art, & I do not expect to live
to see them equalled.
“Believe me, with great truth,
“Dear Sir,
“Your faithful, hble. servt,
“J. LEIGH PHILIPS.
“P.S.--My friend Tate brought me a mourning ring, for which
accept my grateful thanks.”
“Derby, Irongate, 27 Nov., 1797.
“TO MR. PHILIPS.
“DEAR SIR,
“I was honored with the parcel last Monday containing the
copies of Memoirs of my late Bro^{’s} Life. I return you my
most grateful thanks for them, and think myself much obliged
for the very great attention you have shewn in publishing
the History of my Brother’s Life, wherein you have exhibited
with great judgment and accuracy everything needful to adorn
his character and abilities. The errors you have corrected in
the Magazine are considerable, and make the production more
valuable.
“RICH^D WRIGHT.”
Prefixed to this notice of Wright, by Mr. Philips, was an engraved
portrait of the artist by Blake.
[Illustration: JOSEPH WRIGHT. _Etched by himself._]
Amongst the effects of the late Mr. Geo. Cumberland, who was an
intimate friend of Blake’s, was found an etching, evidently the one
that served Blake as his copy, on which is written, “Wright, of Derby;
etched by himself.” This is the only instance known of Wright having
used the etching point.
I am indebted to Mr. Wm. Edkins, not only for this information, but for
the unique etching itself, which is here reproduced.
The following is a copy of the catalogue of the drawings and paintings
finished and unfinished that were sold by Christie, on May 6th, 1801,
with the prices realized and the names of the purchasers. This, with
the copy of Wright’s MS. book, to be found in the appendix, will form a
very complete list of his principal works:--
[Illustration: Catalogue]
A
Catalogue
OF
THE GENUINE COLLECTION
OF
PICTURES,
BEING
A Selection of the most Capital Performances of that esteemed Artist,
_Mr. Joseph Wright, of Derby_,
DECEASED:
COMPRISING
A VIEW of ULLSWATER, several others in and near Rome, Naples, &c.
_The Old Man and Death_; _The Widow of an Indian Chief_;
AND
A CAPITAL VIEW OF AN ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS,
Besides many other interesting Subjects.
Which will be Sold by Auction,
BY MR. CHRISTIE,
AT HIS ROOM,
(N^o. 118, _late the Royal Academy_) _in Pall Mall_,
On WEDNESDAY, MAY the 6th, 1801,
AT TWELVE o’CLOCK.
May be Viewed Two Days preceding the Sale, when Catalogues may be
had in Pall Mall.
[Illustration]
A Catalogue, &c.
WEDNESDAY, MAY the 6th, 1801.
_PICTURES._
£ s. d.
_Col. Denby._ 1 Ruins--small, unfinished, upright 10 6
_Vernon._ 2 A View of the Lakes, Ditto 1 1 0
_Jenings._ 3 Ditto 1 13 0
_Borrow._ 4 A View with a Bridge, Ditto 2 3 0
_in._ 5 A mountainous Landscape, Ditto 0 12 0
_Rook._ 6 A Castle, by Moonlight, in dead
Colour 1 15 0
_Marshall._ 7 A Fire in a Forest, by Moonlight 0 11 0
in._ 8 A mountainous and woody Landscape,
Oval 2 2 0
_Dorset._ 9 Ruins of a Roman Temple, by
Fire-light 1 9 0
_Heath._ 10 A Boy with a Dog 0 15 0
_Denby._ 11 A Landscape in the Stile of Artois 3 15 0
_Maria Wright._ 12 A Hilly Landscape, with a slated Barn 7 0 0
_Goulding._ 13 A small Mountainous Ditto 2 7 0
_Vernon._ 14 A small pleasing View of a Harbour by
Moonlight, and an unfinished
Landscape the Companion 5 15 6
_Jenings._ 15 A Lake Scene unfinished 5 10 0
_Borrow._ 16 A warm mountainous Landscape, small
upright 5 5 0
_Goulding._ 17 A View of Carnarvon Castle by Fire and
Moonlight, unfinished 5 15 6
_Vernon._ 18 An Italian Landscape with Ruin 6 6 0
_Rawlinson._ 19 A Landscape, a Rock Scene 6 0 0
_Vernon._ 20 A View of the Ponte Nomentano, near
Rome, unfinished 3 0 0
_Heath._ 21 The Dead Soldier, unfinished 5 0 0
_H. Wright._ 22 A View of the Lake of Nemi, a warm
Evening Scene 12 12 0
_Long._ 23 Lady and Beggar Boy, unfinished 1 7 0
_Vernon._ 24 The Glass-House, a Sketch: the Fire
exceedingly well expressed 3 10 0
_Shackman._ 25 A small View of an Eruption of Mount
Vesuvius by Moonlight 4 4 0
_Brown._ 26 A Landscape unfinished 1 1 0
_in._ 27 View of an Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
by Moonlight, with a View of the Bay
of Naples 18 18 0
_Tate, in._ 28 A Landscape, and Figures with a tilted
Cart; a View of Matlock High Tor
in the Distance--very rich and
glowing Effect 51 9 0
_Borrow._ 29 Portrait of a Beggarman 6 0 0
_Mr. Cade, in._ 30 A Landscape with a Monumental Ruin by
Moonlight 14 3 6
_Tate._ 31 A Landscape, Sunset 10 10 0
_Mr. Cade, in._ 32 A pleasing View of a Lake by
Moonlight 9 19 6
_Goulding._ 33 An Italian, rocky Landscape and
Figures 10 10 0
_Borrow._ 34 An Eruption of Vesuvius by Moonlight,
viewed through the Fog--singularly
fine Effect 16 16 0
_Heath._ 35 A View on the Lakes in Westmoreland 16 16 0
_Maria Wright,_
_in._ 36 A Ditto 15 15 0
_Rawlinson._ 37 Virgil’s Tomb--a pleasing, high
finished picture 17 6 6
_Mr. Cade, in._ 38 A mountainous and woody Landscape, a
View in the Neighbourhood of
Matlock 20 9 6
_Jennings._ 39 A small Italian Landscape, after
Wilson 21 10 6
_Jo. Wright, in._ 40 A Boy and Girl with a Blown Bladder:
the Countenances full of lively
Expression, and the Whole
delicately and highly finished 40 19 0
_Borrow._ 41 A Landscape viewed through a Cavern
by Moonlight 26 5 0
_Sters._ 42 A View of Ulleswater Lake and
Skiddaw 21 0 0
_Vernon._ 43 An upright View in the Convent of the
Latomie at Syracuse 16 5 6
_H. Wright._ 44 A Rocky Landscape, with a River by
Moonlight 47 5 0
_Smith, M.P._ 45 A Mountainous Landscape in the
Neighbourhood of the Lakes 9 19 6
_Tate, in._ 46 A Landscape with a Rainbow, View near
Chesterfield in Derbyshire 59 17 0
_Borrow._ 47 The Cascade of Terni, near Tivoli 40 19 0
_Poole & Tate._ 48 A Pair of elegant Views of the Lake
of Albano, with the Castel
Gandolfo, and the companion the
Lake of Nemi 63 0 0
_in._ 49 Sterne’s Maria, an elegant Figure
delicately painted 38 17 0
_Borrow._ 50 A Landscape, View of the Lake of
Albano, a beautiful warm Scene 53 11 0
_in._ 51 Romeo and Juliet in the Sepulchre, a
spirited Composition; the Interest
considerably heightened by the
Shadow of Figures approaching the
Tomb, capital 47 5 0
_Tate._ 52 View of a Cottage in Needwood Forest 63 0 0
_in._ 53 William and Margaret, from the
popular Ballad, capital 39 18 0
_Borrow._ 54 The Colosseo at Rome with Figures, a
highly finished View of this grand
and interesting Monument of
Antiquity 74 11 0
_Borrow._ 55 A View of Ditto by Moonlight, with a
Figure of a Friar at his evening
Devotion to the Virgin 85 1 0
_in._ 56 A philosopher in his Study by
Lamplight--a highly finished and
brilliant coloured Picture 19 19 0
_Carr for 57 A large and romantic View of the Head
Arkwright._ of Ullswater Lake from Lyson’s
Tower in Graystoc Park, the Seat of
the Duke of Norfolk 315 0 0
_in._ 58 The Allegory of the Old Man and
Death in a picturesque Landscape,
a River Scene with Gothic Ruins--a
very correct Knowledge of Anatomy
is displayed in the Figure of Death;
the Alarm of the old Peasant is
finely expressed, and the Lights are
throughout the Picture uncommonly
brilliant 51 9 0
_in._ 59 Lusignan in prison--The interior
finely illumined, capital 60 18 0
_Smith for 60 A small Prison Scene, with a single
Wakefield._ Figure 31 10 0
_Borrow._ 61 A Ditto 17 17 0
_in._ 62 The Alchymist in his Elaboratory with
Assistants. This admirable
Performance presents a happy Display
of the Artist’s Talents. The Effect
of Light issuing from the Sand-heat,
and reflected from the Retort and
surrounding Implements is contrived
with surprising Effect, amounting
to perfect Illusion--truly capital 80 17 0
_Borrow._ 63 The Hermit, companion to the preceding,
capital 70 17 0
_Borrow._ 64 THE INDIAN WIDOW. This elegant
painting is replete with poetical
Beauties: the Contest of the Day is
over, but the War is still waged
among the Elements, and a Volcano
on the Right adds to the Turbulence
of the Scene. The Apathy of
excessive Grief is conspicuous in
the distressed Female, who is thus
admirably contrasted with the
agitated Objects of the Back
Ground 73 10 0
_in._ 65 A grand ERUPTION of VESUVIUS, seen
across the Bay by Moonlight--
This magnificent Scene so often
attempted by the Pencils of various
Masters, has surely, never been
expressed with more Grandeur than in
this Effort of Mr. Wright--the Effect
is awful beyond Description--Earth,
Air and Water appear as but one
Element. It is thus that real Genius
can manage Nature at its Will; and the
Artist who transfers her to the Canvas
with so much Truth, kindles a Light,
which will ever be reflected with
Lustre upon his own Name 304 10 0
-----------
£2075 3 0
F I N I S.
J. Smeeton, Printer, 148, St. Martin’s Lane.
Mr. J. Holland, of Ford Hall, one of Wright’s executors, attended the
sale at Christie’s, and on his return wrote the following quaint letter
to Dr. Wright, the artist’s brother:--
“Ford, Aug^t 11^{th} 1801.
“DEAR SIR,
“On the 14^{th} July & at 4 o’clock in the morning, M^{rs.}
Holland and myself passed through Derby on our return from
full ten weeks busling in noisy London. While the chaise was
preparing at Derby, I could not forbear viewing the outside
of your habitation, and wishing that the hour had been more
seasonable that I might have seen how you all would have
admired the Country Squire returned, and that you in your turn
might have had an opportunity to have discovered the vast
improvements I had made in Town manners, &c., &c. I had also
with me your Brother’s drawings from Michael Angelo, which I
wanted much to have left with you. They are, however, very
safe here. I was not able to forward the disposal of them,
tho’ I showed them to several artists, who commended them
very highly. They were all of opinion that they should have
been sold with the pictures. Do you remember Dr. Bates, who
many years ago lived in your Town, and removed from thence
to Aylesbury. Having been a long time in Rome, he knew the
subjects perfectly, and thought them very fine studies. I want
much to come to Derby, but cannot say when at present. I have
very fine impressions both of Sir Richd. Arkwright and the
‘Tempest,’ which I trust to convey to those they are intended
for in due time. I can say with my whole heart, that there was
not a landscape in the Exhibition that could be compared to
what used to be the production of your Brother’s pencil. But
this I thought ill-manners to advance in London. The artists,
indeed, I must say, whom I conversed with, were by no means
niggardly in their commendations of M^{r.} Wright’s works.
There were at the Exhibition some fine coloured drawings,
particularly by Turner, who appears to be a very rising
genius. Sir W. Beechy, Hopner, & Lawrence seem all three
pretty near an equality. I shall leave all my rare anecdotes
till I meet the worthy circle, and then you shall be told the
wonders & no wonders that occurred to the Derbyshire man’s
visit to London after 33 years’ absence. My kind regards and
wishes to you and yours, and also at Spondon. The accounts,
&c., shall come, when the bearer will be yours sincerely,
“J. HOLLAND.”
It will be noticed that the pictures were nearly all bought by private
persons, and not by dealers; also that several pictures were “bought
in” at the sale at Christie’s in 1801, which were afterwards sold in
Derby, in 1810, at considerably enhanced prices. The following is a
copy of the catalogue, the original being in the Mayer Collection:--
NOTE.--I am greatly indebted to Mr. Mayer, of
Liverpool, for kindly allowing me the use of his collection of
letters relating to Wright.
[Illustration: catalogue]
CATALOGUE OF
THE GENUINE COLLECTION OF
_PICTURES_,
Being a Selection of the most CAPITAL PERFORMANCES,
of that esteemed Artist,
Mr. JOSEPH WRIGHT, of DERBY, _deceased_.
_COMPRISING_
The Alchymist;--The Old Man and Death;--A Philosopher
in his Study, by lamp-light;--and
_A capital View of an Eruption of Vesuvius_:
Besides several other interesting Subjects;
_Which will be Sold by Auction_,
BY MR. SHAW,
AT THE TOWN HALL, IN DERBY,
_On THURSDAY the 11th day of October, 1810_,
(The Sale to commence immediately after the Morning’s Musical
Performance.)[49]
May be viewed at the Town Hall, from Monday the 8th October, until
twelve
o’clock on Thursday the 11th of October. Admission, One Shilling,
to be given to the Infirmary.
Conditions of Sale.
_The highest bidder to be the purchaser; should any dispute arise, the
lot to be put up again._
_The purchaser to pay immediately the auction duty, in addition to the
purchase money. The Pictures to be at the purchaser’s risk immediately
on the fall of the hammer, and taken away at his expence._
_Lastly.--In case of any purchasers neglecting to fulfil their
conditions, the lots to be resold, and the deficiency upon such resale
(should any arise,) and all expences thereon, to be borne and paid by
the defaulter of the present sale._
THURSDAY 11th OCTOBER, 1810.
PICTURES.
PRICES SOLD
FOR
PURCHASERS.
£ s. d. _Lots._
-- 1 A Hilly Landscape, with a slated Barn; 1 foot
8 by 1 foot 4 inches. Unsold.
23 2 0 2 View of an Eruption of Mount Vesuvius by Mr. Snowden,
Moon-light, with a view of the Bay of Spondon.
Naples; 2 feet 7 by 2 feet 1 inch.
43 1 0 3 A Philosopher in his Study by Lamp-light, Mr. Tate,
a highly finished and brilliant coloured Liverpool.
Picture; 4 feet 2 by 3 feet 4 inches,
(upright.)
105 0 0 4 Lusignan in Prison; the interior finely Mr. Chappell,
illumined; _capital_; 4 feet 2 by 3 Arnold.
feet 4 inches.
84 0 0 5 The Allegory of the Old Man and Death, in Sir R. Wilmot,
a picturesque Landscape; a River scene Chaddesden.
with Gothic Ruins.--A very correct
knowledge of Anatomy is displayed in the
Figure of Death; the Alarm of the old
Peasant is finely expressed, and the
Lights throughout the Picture are
uncommonly brilliant; 4 feet 2 by 3 feet
4 inches.
105 0 0 6 William and Margaret, from the popular Miss Wright,
Ballad; _capital_; 4 feet 9 by 4 feet Spondon.
1 inch.
-- 7 Romeo and Juliet in the Sepulchre, a Unsold.
spirited Composition; the interest
considerably heightened by the shadows
of Figures approaching the Tomb; _capital_;
7 feet 11 by 5 feet 11 inches.
210 0 0 8 The Alchymist in his Elaboratory with Col. Wilson,
Assistance.--This admirable performance Wooton
presents a happy display of the Artist’s Lodge.
talents; the effect of Light issuing from
the sand heat, and reflected from the retort
and surrounding implements, is contrived with
surprising effect, amounting to perfect
illusion; _truly capital_, 4 feet 2 by 3 feet
4 inches; (upright.)
-- 9 A grand Eruption of Vesuvius, seen across the Unsold.
Bay of Naples, by Moon-light.--This
magnificent scene so often attempted by the
pencils of various Masters, has surely never
been expressed with more grandeur than in
this Effort of Mr. Wright.--The effect is
awful beyond description; Earth, Air and
Water appear as but one Element. It is thus
that real genius can manage Nature at its
will; and the Artist who transfers her to the
canvas with so much truth, kindles a light,
which will ever be reflected with lustre upon
his own Name; 5 feet 11 by 4 feet 1 inch.
15 15 0 10 Portrait of a Lady, (unclaimed.) Mr. Bateman,
Foston.
3 3 0 11 Ditto of a Gentleman, (unclaimed.) Mr. Sewell,
Leicester.
_N. B. These Paintings have not been copied._
Catalogues may be had of Mr. Shaw, Mr. Mosley, and at the principal
Inns in Derby.
(_J. Drewry, Printer, Derby._)
“Matlock Old Bath, Sep. 3^{rd} 1797.
“TO MR. WRIGHT, SURGEON, IRONGATE, DERBY.
“SIR,
“On passing through Derby, on Thursday last, I was on the
point of sending a servant to your brother’s, for the purpose
of making enquiries concerning him (meaning to go afterwards
myself, if his health admitted), when I heard with much
concern of his death. I feel sincere regret for a friend whom
I had long known and valued highly. Mrs. Gisborne & myself, on
our return through Derby yesterday, would have been glad to
send our enquiries to Mr. Wright’s, but I was doubtful whether
it might not then be premature to do so. I will therefore
trouble you to express, at a proper opportunity, to Mrs. Cade
& the rest of the family, our concern for their loss, and our
sincere wishes for their health.
“I am, Sir,
“Your faithful & obedient servant,
“THOS. GISBORNE.”
With these notices of the death of Wright, and the subsequent sale of
his pictures, my task is ended.
As the materials at my command have enabled me, I have striven to
present a faithful record of his artistic and private life. As
an artist, his genius was recognised in his own day; and it is
satisfactory to know that his industrious pencil provided an ample
income, and enabled him to realise a very sufficient competence for the
years when age and infirmity grew upon him. But there were drawbacks
to his attainment of greater fame and honours. He was a man of great
sensitiveness, and of strong domestic feelings and habits. His retiring
disposition, and the depressing maladies from which he suffered during
many years of his life, indisposed him both mentally and physically
for a residence in London, where an active life would have opened
out to him more extended patronage and consequent advancement in his
profession. As a man, the perusal of much private correspondence in
addition to that here published, has led me to form a high estimate of
his character. Loving in his family relationships, he was a faithful
and generous friend, and of large sympathies.
His private life reflects as great honour on his name, as do his works
on his artistic repute. The latter his own hand has imperishably handed
down to us, and his memory may well be cherished as one who has shed
undying lustre on his native town.
F I N I S.
APPENDIX.
The following interesting Memoranda are taken from Wright’s MS. Book:--
“Bessy Fritch, at the Green Dragon, a pretty little girl of
the delicate kind.”
“Nancy Nudal, in the Full Street, a pretty little girl.”
“Nancy Mellers, upon the Nun’s Green, against Haslam’s, a
pretty middle-sized girl.”
“Jno. Fletcher, of Osmaston, an old bald-headed man.”
It is very probable that Fletcher sat to Wright for the six
studies of an old man’s head which he painted, five of which
were exhibited in the Derby Art Gallery in 1883.
“Paid for Lottery Ticket, No. 26,815, £13 19. 0, half of which
is for More, £6 19. 6--due to More on this account, £1. 0. 6.
The Lottery Ticket came up a prize of £20, for which I got
£19. 14. 0, half of which is More’s, £9. 17. 0.”
“Paid for lottery ticket, No. 36,123. £15. 1. 0., half of
which is for More, £7. 10. 6.”
SUBJECTS FOR NIGHT PIECES.
“A BLACKSMITH’S SHOP.--Two men forming a bar of iron
into a horse shoe, from whence the light must proceed. An
idle fellow may stand by the anvil in a time-killing posture,
his hands in his bosom, or yawning with his hands stretched
upwards, a little twisting of the body. Horse shoes hanging
upon ye walls, and other necessary things faintly seen, being
remote from the light.
“Out of this room shall be seen another, in which a ffarrier
may be shoeing a horse by the light of a candle. The horse
must be sadled, and a traveller standing by. The servant
may appear with hys horse in his hand, on wh. may be a
portmanteau. This will be an indication of an accident having
happen’d, and shew some reason for shoeing the horse by
candle-light. The moon may appear, and illumine some part of
the horses, if necessary.”
The size of a Kit-cat frame is 3ft. ¼″ × 2ft. 4″
„ a ¾ is 2ft. 6″ × 2ft. 1″
„ an half-length is 4ft. 2″ × 3ft. 4″
For a small whole length the frame should be cut 10 inches
from ye bottom.
A full-length straining frame, 7ft. 10″ × 4ft. 10″
A large full-length 8ft. -- × 5ft. --
From the same MS. book we learn that on one occasion Wright cleaned and
restored several paintings for Lord Harrington. The account runs thus:--
FOR LORD HARRINGTON.
Went to Elvaston three times, one of wh. was there a whole
day--
Cleaning a full-length picture 2. 2. 0
A new straining frame hung to the picture of King
Charles 2. 6
Lining, cleaning, & repairing several damaged parts 1. 10. 0
Cleaning & repairing 2 Landskips 12. 0
Cleaning four small pictures, retouching them 10. 0
Cleaning do. two pictures of Venus & Cupid 1. 10. 0
Cleaning & retouching an historical picture of Paul
Veronese. 10. 0
Four Large Historical Pictures clean’d, repaired &
varnish 2. 2. 0
Other interesting items are:--
Chairman 2/6
Shoe buckles 10d.
Paid for letter 10½d.
„ 7½d.
„ 4½d.
The following prices, etc., are copied from a priced catalogue of the
sale of the effects of John Leigh Philips, Esq., sold at Manchester in
October, 1814, and are useful in identifying sketches, etc., not named
in the List of Pictures:--
41 Wright, of Derby.--Four studies, taken on the spot in £1 10 0
Italy
42 „ Three: A study for the figure in
the picture of the Dead Ass, a
fragment in Indian ink, and a
(_Mr. Meynell._) ditto of Walls, in colours fine £2 7 0
44 „ Six drawings from Antiques, made on
the spot, in outline pen £3 13 6
45 „ Two: A Ruin and a Landscape, with
figures in Indian ink £2 0 0
46 „ Three: Interior of a Cabin, Hero &
Leander, & Dog £1 1 0
47 „ Two: Vesuvius and the Interior of a
Church £1 2 0
48 „ Two: View of a Ruin in Rome, Indian
ink, and a ditto in colours;
capital £3 0 0
49 „ Four: Three Studies by Wright, and
a Landscape with figures by
Wilson £3 10 0
50 „ Two Cavern Scenes on the Shores of
Italy. Fine and highly-finished
drawings made on the spot, and
are the originals from which the
two celebrated pictures in the
collection of the late Wm.
(_Mr. Hardman._) Hardman, Esq., were painted £10 10 0
51 „ One: Portrait of himself, in a
fancy dress; capital £4 4 0
Wright’s Drawings, £32 17 6.
OIL PAINTINGS.
13 Wright, of Derby.--A Landscape with a Waterfall. A
spirited representation of a
(_Leeming._) stormy effect £26 15 6
18 „ The Lake of Albano. Spirited
sketch £18 18 0
19 „ The Old Peasant Bewailing the
(_Bateman._) Death of his Ass. From Sterne £34 13 0
21 „ A Cavern Scene, upright £16 5 6
25 „ Neptune’s Grotto, near Tivoli. A
very highly-finished and beautiful
picture of a favourite scene from
(_Mr. E. Flack._) nature £24 3 0
26 „ An Eruption of Vesuvius, destroying
the vineyards. Presumed by Mr.
Wright to be the best picture he
(_H. & A. Wright._) painted of the subject £63 0 0
27 „ The Lighthouse on Fire. A beautiful
and carefully-finished picture,
full of harmonious effect of the
(_Mr. Pares._) union of the moon and fire-light £36 15 0
28 „ A View of the Bay of Naples, from
Pausilipo, with Vesuvius in the
distance. Comp. to last lot, of a
sweet sunny effect, and highly
(_Ablet._) finished £45 3 0
29 „ Rocks and Trees. A very spirited and
(_H. & A. Wright._) clever study £30 9 0
30 „ A Cavern Scene, with a Bridge.
Painted with all that close
delineation of the effects of
nature, for which this master is
(_H. & A. Wright._) so justly celebrated £42 0 0
31 „ The Bridge and Waterfall at Rydal, in
Westmoreland. A charming scene
represented with great success. The
stones seen at the bottom of the
water give an effect to the picture
(_H. Wright_) at once curious and natural £48 6 0
33 „ The Dead Soldier. This acknowledged
_chef-d’œuvre_ of this admired
master, uniting great knowledge of
grouping, excellent drawing, and
correct colouring, with a fine
feeling of sentiment, decidedly
proves the assertion of Mr. Fuzeli,
in his Biographical Notice of Mr.
Wright, that “he once eminently
(_Gould._) succeeded in the pathetic” £315 0 0
Memd., 15th Sep., 1787.--Remains to be paid to me by Mr.
John Milnes, on account of the picture of Gibraltar, two
hundred guineas, and by right he ought to pay the Int. of that
money from the time he has withheld the commission from me
to replace two other pictures in the room of the two he has
of Vesuvius & the Girandolo, agreeable to his own letters.
He also owes me twenty pounds for my journey to Wakefield,
according to his own agreement.
J. WRIGHT.
LIST OF PORTRAITS.
SITTERS AT NEWARK.
Mr. Hall.
Mrs. Hall.
Miss Hall.
Mrs. Sikes.
Mrs. Gosbal.
Mrs. Rasdale.
Mr. Rasdale.
Mr. W. Rasdale.
Mrs. W. Rasdale.
Old Mrs. Rasdale.
Mr. Stow.
Mrs. Stow.
Mr. St. Stow.
Mrs. Hanway.
Miss Pockleton.
Mr. R. Pockleton.
Mr. J. Pockleton.
Ld. Robt. Sutton.
Mr. Darwin.
Miss Darwin.
SITTERS AT LINCOLN (1760).
Miss Craycroft.
Miss Molly Craycroft.
Miss Chadwick.
Miss Peart.
Miss Molly Peart.
Miss Nancy Peart.
Miss Nelly Peart.
Mr. Wills.
Miss Bromhead.
Miss Monk.
Mr. Monk.
Mrs. Monk.
Governor Thompson.
Master Wilson.
Miss Wilson.
Mrs. Nevil.
Miss Nevil.
Miss Drewry.
Master Drewry.
SITTERS AT BOSTON.
Captain Blunt.
Miss Hurst.
Mr. Thompson.
Mrs. Thompson.
Mr. Fydell.
Mrs. Fydell.
Mr. Lynton.
Mr. Willby.
Miss Ayre.
Mr. Ishmay.
SITTERS AT RETFORD (1760).
Lynn Simpson, Esq.
Mrs. Simpson.
Miss Simpson.
Mr. Mason.
Mrs. Mason.
Mrs. G. Mason.
Capt. Kirk.
Mrs. Sutton.
Mrs. Absonor.
Mr. Judson.
Mr. Sutton.
Miss Inwood.
SITTERS AT DONCASTER (1760).
Mr. Pigott.
Mrs. Pigott.
Mr. Brooks.
SITTERS AT THORN (1760).
Mr. Ellison.
Mrs. Ellison.
Mr. & Mrs. Ellison.
Mr. Foster.
Mrs. Foster.
SITTERS AT ECKINGTON (1760).
Mrs. Carver.
Miss Carver.
Miss B. Carver.
Mr. Carver.
Mr. Peachall.
SITTERS FROM FEB. 1, 1760.
£ s. d.
Mr. & Mrs. Nowell, 3 qrs. 12 12 0
Miss Clarke, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Master Simeon Harvey Wilmot 6 6 0
Copy of Mrs. Lumb, sml 3 qrs. 2 2 0
Mrs. Monk, ½ length 12 12 0
Mr. Judson, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Sutton, kit-cat 7 7 0
Mr. Pigott, ½ length 12 12 0
2 Master Rastall’s 16 16 0
Mrs. Pigott, ½ length 12 12 0
Mr. Brooks, ½ length 12 12 0
Mr. Ellison, ½ length 12 12 0
Mrs. Ellison, ½ length 12 12 0
Master & Miss Ellison 6 6 0
Mr. Foster, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Foster, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Miss Inwood 6 6 0
Mrs. Carver, ½ length } { 12 12 0
Miss Carver, ½ length } For Dr. Griffith { 12 12 0
Miss B. Carver, ½ length } { 12 12 0
Mr. Carver, ½ length } { 12 12 0
Mr. Peachall, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Master & Miss Drewry 14 14 0
Miss Fenton, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Chase, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. C. Hope, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Nowel, ½ length 12 12 0
Mrs. Fowler, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Bainbrigge, ½ length 12 12 0
Mrs. Bainbrigge ditto 12 12 0
Mrs. C. Hope, kit-cat 9 9 0
Captn. Lushington, ½ length 12 12 0
Mr. Chase, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Heath, k. c. 9 9 0
Mrs. Tead, k. c. 9 9 0
Mr. Wilde, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Wilde, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Wm. Chase & Mrs. Chase, a conversation 25 4 0
Mr. Pickering, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Rolleston, ½ l. 12 12 0
Copy of Needham 5 5 0
A 3 qrs. of old Borao for Mr. Beresford 6 6 0
Mr. Stenton, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Stenton, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Tipson, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Tipson, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Lindigton, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Dixon, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Dixon, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Copy of Mr. Millers 2 2 0
Miss Swan, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Mundy, ½ length 12 12 0
Family picture of Mr., Mrs., & Miss Shuttleworth 42 0 0
Mr. Peckham, ½ length 12 12 0
Mr. Heath, ½ l. 12 12 0
Miss Warren, whole length 16 16 0
Mr. Borrow, half l. 12 12 0
Mrs. Borrow, half l. 12 12 0
Mr. Gwin, half l. 12 12 0
Mrs. Wilmot, ½ l. 12 12 0
Mr. Bingham, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mrs. Bennet, 3 qrs. 6 6 0
Mr. Leacroft, ½ l. 12 12 0
Mr. Barrow, ½ l. 12 12 0
Mr. Burdett 12 12 0
Mr. Boothby 6 6 0
Mr. Beresford 6 6 0
Mr. Gurney 6 6 0
Full length of Master Fallows 16 16 0
For painting a draper to a whole length picture
for Lord Vernon 10 10 0
SITTERS AT MACCLESFIELD.
£ s. d.
Mr. Stafford, Miss Stafford 10 10 0
SITTERS AT DERBY.
£ s. d.
Miss Bateman 3 3 0
Mr. Bainbrigge 6 6 0
Mrs. Bainbrigge 6 6 0
Master Wilmot 3 3 0
Miss Wilmot 3 3 0
Master C. Wilmot 3 3 0
Master R. Wilmot 3 3 0
Master S. Wilmot 3 3 0
Master Harvey Wilmot 3 3 0
Mr. Fisher 6 6 0
Miss Wollot 6 6 0
Mr. Baker 6 6 0
Mrs. Harpur 6 6 0
Mr. Melland 6 6 0
Master Mundy 6 6 0
Miss Mundy 6 6 0
Mr. Leacroft 6 6 0
Mr. Balguy 6 6 0
Mrs. Balguy 6 6 0
Miss Crompton 6 6 0
Mr. Copestake 6 6 0
Miss Copestake 6 6 0
Miss Taylor 6 6 0
Miss F. Taylor 6 6 0
Parson Allen 6 6 0
Miss Clarke 6 6 0
Mr. Nowel 6 6 0
Mrs. Nowell 6 6 0
E. Sales 2 2 0
Miss Dalby 6 6 0
Master Curzon 3 3 0
Miss Curzon 3 3 0
Master Penn Curzon 4 4 0
Master P. Curzon 4 4 0
Mr. A. Curzon 6 6 0
Miss Hanmer 6 6 0
Mrs. Hanmer 6 6 0
Copy of Mr. Hamner 6 6 0
The Parrot 3 3 0
Master Challener 8 8 0
Miss Challener 8 8 0
Mrs. Degg 6 6 0
Mr. Lyggon 6 6 0
Mrs. Lyggon 6 6 0
Master Lyggon 6 6 0
Miss Lyggon 6 6 0
Copy of Lady Curzon 6 6 0
2 of Sir Nat Curzon 12 12 0
Capt. Bailey 6 6 0
Capt. Heathcote 6 6 0
Mr. Low 3 3 0
Mr. Wright 6 6 0
Mrs. Wright 6 6 0
Capt. Sherring 6 6 0
Miss Storer 4 4 0
Copy of Mr. Lumb 2 2 0
Miss Cockin 6 6 0
Old Mr. Fox 3 3 0
Mr. Nowell 12 12 0
Miss Fenton 6 6 0
Mrs. Chase 6 6 0
Mr. C. Hope 9 9 0
Mr. Bainbrigge 12 12 0
Mrs. Bainbrigge 12 12 0
Miss F. Broad 6 6 0
Capt. Lushington 12 12 0
Mrs. Hope 9 9 0
Mr. Chase 6 6 0
Mrs. Heath 9 9 0
Mr. Tead 9 9 0
Mr. Wilde 6 6 0
Mrs. Wilde 6 6 0
Mr. Chase 12 12 0
Mrs. Chase 12 12 0
Mr. Pickering 6 6 0
Mrs. Ligdinton 6 6 0
Mr. Dixon 6 6 0
Mrs. Dixon 6 6 0
Miss Swan 6 6 0
Mr. Mundy 12 12 0
Mr. Shuttleworth 12 12 0
Mrs. Shuttleworth 12 12 0
Miss Shuttleworth 12 12 0
SITTERS AT LIVERPOOL, 1769.
£ s. d.
Mr. Warfe 10 10 0
Mr. Atherton 10 10 0
Mr. & Mrs. Smythe 21 0 0
Mr. & Mrs. Leigh 21 0 0
Mrs. Hardman 10 10 0
Two Miss Staffords 21 0 0
Mr. & Mrs. Hisbeth 21 0 0
Mrs. & Miss Parr 21 0 0
Mr. & Mrs. Park 21 0 0
Miss Leice 10 10 0
Mr. & Miss Knight 42 0 0
Master Ashton[50] 31 10 0
Capt. & Mrs. Boyd 21 0 0
Mr. Stannyforth 15 15 0
Mr. & Mrs. Gore 21 0 0
Mr. Chas. Coke 10 10 0
Mr. Clarke 10 10 0
Mr. Southward 10 10 0
Copy of Mrs. Tarlton 8 8 0
Mr. Stafford 10 10 0
Mrs. B. Tatton 10 10 0
Mrs. Lankford 10 10 0
Mr. Sam Lankford 10 10 0
Mr. Rowe 10 10 0
Mr. Wm. Stafford 10 10 0
SITTERS AT DERBY.
£ s. d.
Mr. & Mrs. Gisborne 21 0 0
Mr. & Mrs. Hurt 42 0 0
Mr. Holding Shuttleworth 10 10 0
Capt. French 10 10 0
Miss Miller Mundy 10 10 0
Mrs. Forrester 10 10 0
Mr. Crompton 10 10 0
Mrs. Crompton 10 10 0
Mr. Bakewell 21 0 0
Mr. & Mrs. Coltman--a conversation 63 0 0
Mrs. Pole & Child 63 0 0
Col. Pole 21 0 0
Mr. Day, ½ length[51] 42 0 0
Mr. Jno. Heath 21 0 0
Capt. Bathurst 10 10 0
Col. Heathcote--small full-length 31 10 0
Capt. Milnes--small full-length 31 10 0
Copy of Lady Rubens 12 12 0
Copy of Mr. Boothby 12 12 0
Copy of a Gentleman 6 6 0
A 3 qrs. of Mr. Thos. Gisborne (1777) 12 12 0
A small head of the Rev. Mr. Bakewell 9 9 0
Ditto of Dr. Berridge 8 8 0
A conversation piece of two of Mr. Pickford’s
children 63 0 0
Master Charles Hope 8 8 0
Miss Harriet Hope 8 8 0
Miss Warren, small 10 10 0
Mr. Latissiere 12 12 0
Mrs. Berridge, small oval 8 8 0
Capt. Coke of the Blues 12 12 0
Parker Coke, Esq.
Mr. Sennet’s 3 children[52] 73 10 0
A large head of Jno. Stovely 18 18 0
A ¾ of Mrs. Hodges 12 12 0
A ¾ of F. Brome, Esqre. 12 12 0
Mr. Fletcher 12 12 0
Mrs. Lander 12 12 0
Old John at the King’s Head--Raffled for 12 12 0
Dr. Harrison[52] 12 12 0
A head of Mrs. Mortimer 12 12 0
Mr. Ward 12 12 0
A large picture of Mr. Boothby 50 8 0
A small head of old Stovely 12 12 0
A Conversation Picture of D. P. Coke. The Rev.
Mr. Dare Coke & his Lady 75 12 0
A Kit-cat of old John Stovely for Mr. Holland 18 18 0
Mrs. More 12 12 0
Two Master Mundys, full-lengths 73 10 0
Mr. Whitehurst, Kit-cat[53] 18 18 0
Mr. Seward 12 12 0
Miss Seward 15 15 0
Mr. Inge 12 12 0
A ¾ Girl, with Doves 15 15 0
A copy of Mr. Bentley, Kit-cat 21 0 0
A copy of the late Mr. Parker, half-length 25 4 0
A half-length of Robt. Holding, Esq. 25 4 0
Copy of Mr. Crompton. 3 qrs., with a hand 14 14 0
A half-length of Miss Parker 25 4 0
A 3 qrs. of Mrs. Morewood, with a hand 15 15 0
Copy of Mrs. Crompton 12 12 0
Copy of ditto 12 12 0
Copy of Mr. Crompton 14 14 0
Half length copy of Mr. Wetham 25 4 0
A small oval of ditto 8 8 0
Small full-length of Mrs. Morewood 36 15 0
Ditto of Mr. Case 36 15 0
A small oval of Mr. Carleill 8 8 0
Two 3 qrs. copies of Dr. Berridge’s grandfather
and uncle 25 4 0
A small copy of Mrs. Morewood 15 15 0
Two 3 qrs. pictures of Mr. & Mrs. Fox 21 4 0
A head of Mr. Buxton 12 12 0
A copy of the late Mr. Pickering with a hand for
Mr. Thos. Gisborne 15 15 0
A 3 qrs. with a hand of Mr. Balguy 15 15 0
Ditto ditto 15 15 0
Miss Stamford 8 8 0
Miss L. Stamford 8 8 0
Mr. Hancock, 3 qrs. 12 12 0
Master Carver 8 8 0
Rev. Mr. Berridge 25 4 0
Mr. Chas. Denby 12 12 0
A conversation of Mr. Leaper’s children 84 0 0
A half-length of Mr. Jones 25 4 0
Mr. Rastall 15 15 0
Mr. Arkwright, ½ length 26 0 0
A full-length of Mrs. C. Hurt & her child 81 18 0
A full-length of Mr. Gell 52 10 0
A full-length of Lady Wilmot & her child “as a
Madonna” 78 18 0
A conversation picture of Mr. & Mrs. Gisborne 100 16 0
A small picture of Mr. Caldwell 8 8 0
A half-length of Mr. Strutt 25 4 0
A 3 qrs. of my nephew Rd. Wright
A 3 qrs. of Mr. Salmon for Mr. Flint 12 12 0
A 3 qrs. of Mr. Salmon for Sir Brooke Boothby 12 12 0
A head of Ld. Richard Cavendish 12 12 0
A head of Master C. Sales 10 10 0
Ditto of Mr. R. Sales 10 10 0
A 3 qrs. of Mrs. S. Crompton 12 12 0
Two full-lengths in one picture of Master
Thornhills 73 10 0
A 3 qrs. picture of Mr. Pole 12 12 0
A 3 qrs. „ of Mr. Ashby 12 12 0
A copy of Col. Hackart 12 12 0
A half-length of Mr. Abney 25 4 0
Ditto of Mrs. Abney 25 4 0
A conversation picture of 3 of their children
Half length of Mr. Pares 25 4 0
Ditto copy of Mr. Pares 25 4 0
3 qrs. of Mr. Jos. Crompton
A conversation of 3 of Mr. Wood’s children 84 0 0
3 qrs. of Mr. Wood 12 12 0
Ditto of Mrs. Wood 12 12 0
Mr. Burnham 12 12 0
Mrs. Burnham 12 12 0
Mrs. Holland 12 12 0
A half-length of Mr. Chadwick 25 4 0
A full-length of Sir R. Arkwright 52 10 0
A full-length of Mr. C. Hurt 52 10 0
A 3 qrs. copy of Sir R. Arkwright 12 12 0
A half-length of Mr. Strutt 25 4 0
A copy of Rosseau 12 12 0
A conversation of Mr. & Mrs. Arkwright & their
little girl, full-lengths 126 0 0
½ length of Mr. Milnes
A conversation picture of 3 of Mr. Arkwright’s
children 94 10 0
Ditto ditto 94 10 0
A 3 qrs. of Dr. Darwin, with a hand 15 15 0
A full-length of the late Mr. Oldknow 52 10 0
Ditto of Mr. Samuel Oldknow 52 10 0
A half-length copy of Mr. Pares 25 4 0
A head of the late Dr. Lynn Beridge 12 12 0
A copy of Col. Hackart 12 12 0
A head of Mr. Greatorex 12 12 0
Mrs. Greatorex, 3 qrs. 12 12 0
Mrs. Richard Bateman, with a hand 15 15 0
A full-length of Miss Sally Duesbury 31 10 0
A full-length of Master Bateman 31 10 0
A copy of Mr. Pares, ½ length 25 4 0
A 3 qrs. of Mrs. Bateman 16 16 0
Hugh Bateman, Esqre., 3 qrs., with a hand 16 16 0
Shevl. Pole, Esqre., 3 qrs., with a hand
Mrs. Pole, 3 qrs., with hands
Mrs. Briscoe, 3 qrs., with a hand
A copy of Dr. Darwin for Sir Brooke Boothby 15 15 0
A copy ditto Mr. Strutt 15 15 0
A full-length of Mr. Barker, of Bakewell 52 10 0
A copy of Mr. Strutt, with a hand 15 15 0
A 3 qrs. of Mr. Alderson 12 12 0
A copy of ditto 12 12 0
A full-length of Miss Bentley 31 10 0
For painting Mr. Cheslyn’s drapery 12 12 0
Two 3 qrs. pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Fox 21 4 0
_Brooke Boothby Junr. Esqre. Dr. to Joseph Wright Sep. 30th 1780._
£ s. d.
A view of the High Tor at Matlock, by Moonlight,
3 qrs. 31 10 0
Frame 2 2 0
A full-length of himself 50 8 0
Another view of Matlock Tor 31 10 0
Case for ditto 4/9 Frame for ditto 2 2 0
Altering Miss Boothby’s picture, and retouching
two small ones on pannel 2 2 0
Lady Whitmore’s 15 15 0
LIST OF LANDSCAPE, HISTORICAL, FIRE & MOONLIGHT PAINTINGS.
SUBJECT. PURCHASER. PRICE.
£ s. d.
Two views of Matlock 63 0 0
Two grottos by the sea side in the gulf
of Salerno Mr. Hodges 105 0 0
Vesuvius, for the Bp. Derry crossed
through 105 0 0
A view of Cromford Bridge, its companion
of Arkwright’s mills D. P. Coke 52 10 0
A large Vesuvius 200 0 0
A grotto in the gulf of Salernum, with the
figure of Julia (companion to that with
Banditti) Mr. Cockshutt 105 0 0
Virgil’s Tomb Mr. Cockshutt 63 0 0
A full-length of “Maria”[54] 84 0 0
A 3 qrs. picture of Matlock High Tor by
moonlight Mr. Boothby 31 10 0
Another of Matlock High Tor by moonlight ditto 31 10 0
Part of the Colliseum--Sunshine 52 10 0
Ditto, its companion--Moonlight 52 10 0
Grotto in the Gulf of Salernum, moonlight,
½ length Mr. Hardman, of
Manchester 84 0 0
Ditto, its companion--Sunset Ditto 52 10 0
A small picture of Carnarvon Castle, night 10 10 0
A large grotto in the gulf of Salernum,
moon rising Mr. Daulby 84 0 0
A small moonlight of a Lake Ditto 16 16 0
The lake of Nemi, sunset, 3 qrs. Its
companion, moonlight 63 0 0
Frames for ditto @ 2 gs. & ½ pr frame
A small oval of the Lake of Nemi, its
companion, with frames Dr. Beridge 23 2 0
One of the above size of Vesuvius 10 10 0
A small picture of the Girandolo Mr. Daulby 84 0 0
A grotto with Banditti Mr. Cockshutt 175 10 0
Sterne’s Captive[54] 105 0 0
A large Mount Vesuvius Sold to the
Empress (of
Russia) 300 0 0
The Minstrel (Edwin)[55] Mr. Milnes 84 0 0
Two Views of Matlock Mr. Emes 63 0 0
A large picture of the Girandolo--companion
to the Vesuvius which was sold to the
Empress of Russia 200 0 0
Virgil’s Tomb 63 0 0
Neptune’s Grotto Mr. Milnes 31 10 0
CANDLE-LIGHT PICTURES.
[_a_] The Orrery Ld. Ferrers 210 0 0
Boys with a bladder and its compn. Ld. Exeter 105 0 0
[_b_] The air pump Dr. Bates 200 0 0
[_c_] The Gladiator Dr. Bates
(on account) 40 0 0
[_d_] The Academy Lord Melbourne 105 0 0
[_e_] The Hermit 105 0 0
[_f_] The Blacksmith’s Shop Lord Melbourne 150 0 0
[_g_] Small Blacksmith’s Shop E. Parker 42 0 0
An old woman knitting, her husband
smoaking. Its companion, a girl
at her toilet Mr. Parker 31 10 0
[_h_] The Chymist 105 0 0
A Blacksmith’s shop Mr. Alexander 157 10 0
[_i_] The young Nobleman in his ancester’s
Tomb[56] Mr. Milnes 105 0 0
4 Candle-light pictures at 30 guineas ea Col. Pole 126 0 0
Mem: Recd. 25th Oct. 1772 of Col. Pole
twenty guineas in part of payment for the
picture of the boys with the bladder.
The Picture of the Iron Forge Lord
Palmerston 210 0 0
Mem: Not sent. Picture of a Captive King Prince of
Baaden 52 10 0
Picture of an iron forge viewed from Empress of
without Russia 136 0 0
Picture of Belshazzer at the feast when
the hand appeared writing on the wall
Picture of an earth stopper Lord ---- 52 10 0
A sunset of the Lake of Nemi 52 10 0
Virgil’s Tomb by moonlight 63 0 0
A distant View of the High Tor at Matlock
The Cascade at Terni, 3 qr. Given to my
friend Tate 31 10 0
A small picture of the Lake of Nemi,
sunset, and its companion, moonlight Robt. Holden,
Esqre 21 0 0
A large picture of Hero and Leander crossed
through 63 0 0
A large picture of Virgil’s Tomb 63 0 0
A large ditto of the cascade of Terni 73 0 0
A small picture of Virgil’s Tomb 21 0 0
A candle-light piece pd Dr. Bates
Galen pd Ditto
A girl reading a letter by candle-light 12 12 0
A small picture of a cottage on fire,
seen through a groupe of trees--sketch For my friend
Holland 10 10 0
A small picture of a view at Valatii, very
warm evening
A ferry over the river Tay at Dunkield, in
Scotland, moonlight 36 15 0
A Village on fire Mr. Lowe 36 15 0
A Lighthouse on fire in the Mediterranean,
sketch G. L. Philips 10 10 0
A small storm, sketch Ditto 10 10 0
A sketch of Mount Vesuvius, evening Ditto 10 10 0
An upright of a rocky scene wh a waterfall 10 10 0
A view in Italy--a warm sunset 10 10 0
A sketch of Vesuvius, morning 10 10 0
A view at Dunkeld, evening--companion to
the moonlight wh Tate sold to Mr. Wakefield 73 10 0
A small picture of a fire seen through a Rev. Holden
wood Shuttleworth 26 5 0
A near view of Mount Vesuvius 63 0 0
A view of the City of Florence--sun rising 52 10 0
A view in Scotland, half-length, moonlight for my friend
Tate 63 0 0
A storm--Antigonus pursued by a bear Mr. Henry
Philips 105 0 0
Two sketches of the Lakes of Albano and
Nemi Mr. Nixon 21 0 0
A small one on pannel of ye lake of Albano L. Philips 10 10 0
A cottage on fire Mr. Court,
Bristol 42 0 0
A cottage on fire Miss Linwood 15 15 0
Sketch of a Lighthouse in the
Mediterranean 10 10 0
The Spinster wh Collin singing her a ballad
(unfinished)
A Bridge seen thro’ a cavern on the coast of
Sorento--moonlight 31 10 0
A View of the Ponti Salario, half-length 52 10 0
A View in the Alps in the Dutchy of Milan, John Milnes,
half-length, noon Esqre 63 0 0
The companion ditto, morning John Milnes,
Esqre 63 0 0
A half-length landscape of a cottage scene
in Needwood Forest Mr. Milnes 63 0 0
A view of the lake of Como, in Italy, warm
sunset, on pannel
William and Margaret, framed 63 0 0
The cascade of Terni, framed 63 0 0
A large picture of the Dead Soldier 105 0 0
The old man and death 63 0 0
Lusignan in prison 52 10 0
A small prison 16 16 0
A sea shore seen thro’ an arch in ye rocks,
sunset Holland 12 12 0
Romeo & Juliet
The Storm in the Winter Tale 136 0 0
A cottage on fire 31 15 0
A view at the boat house near Matlock Town Mr. Denby 21 0 0
A boy blowing a bladder 31 10 0
A girl looking thro’ a bladder 31 10 0
The Lake of Albano, sunset, ½ length Mr. Milnes 63 0 0
Two girls, with a charcoal stick
Boy and girl, with a bladder
A small view at Almalfa 14 14 0
A sea shore seen through an arch in the given to
rock L. Philips
A small picture of Vesuvius 21 10 0
Its companion by the Lake of Geneva,
moonlight Ditto 21 10 0
A bit of the Ruins of the Colloseo, sunshine 21 0 0
A distant View of Vesuvius, from the shore
of Posilipo Mr. Walker 32 0 0
Ditto ditto ditto Mr. Poploe Birch,
Curzon Street,
May Fair 42 0 0
A boy and girl, with a bladder Mr. Hardman,
Manchester 52 10 0
A girl blowing a charcoal stick Mr. Daulby 42 0 0
A distant View of Vesuvius, from the Shore
of Posilipo, bigger than ½ length Mr. Edward
Mundy 84 0 0
A View of Cromford
An internal View of a Prison 23 2 0
A View of Vesuvius, from the Shore of
Posilipo Mr. Gisborne 42 0 0
Cicero’s Villa, in the Bay of Naples Mr. Smith 36 15 0
A large one of ditto--sun setting after
a shower Edward Mundy 84 0 0
A small picture of the View of Cromford
Bridge, moonlight Mr. Gisborne
A bit of the Ruins of the Coloseo--sunshine Mr. Macklin 16 16 0
A View of Vesuvius from the Shore of
Posilipo Mr. Macklin 42 0 0
Moonlight on the Coast of Tuscany in the
Mediterranean, Companion to the large
picture of Cicero’s Villa Mr. Jno. Milnes 63 0 0
A View of Cosimato, on pannel Honble. A.
Tompson 42 0 0
A Cottage, on fire Mr. Hardman 36 15 0
A picture of the Alps, on the side next Mr. Poploe
Italy, in the Duchy of Milan Birch 36 15 0
A View of Warwick Castle, moonlight Mr. Cutler 36 15 0
A distant View of Vesuvius, from the Shore
of Posilipo, the eruption Principal Mr. Arnold 31 10 0
The inside of a stable, near Tivoli Jno. Henderson,
Esqre. 21 0 0
A small picture of a Bridge, in Italy,
sunset, on pannel 31 10 0
A large picture of Prospero in his cell,
showing a visionary spectacle to
Ferdinand & Miranda--12 ft. ×
8 ft. 6 Pd. 315 0 0
A Circular picture, moonlight Mr. Birch 21 0 0
A small picture of a distant View of
Vesuvius, from ye Shore of Posilipo Mr. Daulby 31 10 0
A sepulchral monument at old
Capua--moonlight Lake of Nemi, sun rising 26 5 0
A small picture of Chee Tor
A 3 qrs. of the Lake of Albano, with the
Monte Jove, seen through the arch of an
acqueduct
A small picture of Cosimato Given to my
friend Tate
A picture of a distant view of Vesuvius,
from the Shore of Posilipo, painted on Sir Robt.
pannel Wilmot 42 0 0
Mecæna’s Villa, on ditto 42 0 0
Cicero’s Villa, on pannel 42 0 0
A Cottage on Fire Mr. Culter 36 15 0
A Companion Moonlight Mr. Bird,
Liverpool 31 10 0
A View of Borrow Dale, sunset 31 10 0
A small picture of Neptune’s Grotto 14 14 0
A small picture of the Lake of Albano,
sunset 26 5 0
View of the Boathouse, Matlock
A View of Vesuvius from the Shore of Edwd. Wilmot,
Posilipo Esqre 42 0 0
The close scene from Cozen’s Sir Robt.
Wilmot 31 10 0
The Sea Shore, moonlight Mr. Harvey 31 10 0
A small moonlight, without the moon
appearing Mr. Boothby 26 5 0
A morning View of the Ponte Salona Mr. Boothby 36 15 0
Its Companion, sunset of Tivoli
A View of Dovedale & its companion of
Cosimato Mr. Gisborne 36 15 0
A view of the Ponte Mola Sir Brooke
Boothby 31 10 0
Virgil’s Tomb, sun breaking thro’ a cloud.
Small picture 31 10 0
A Sunset, a bold sea shore, 3 qrs., from
Cozens Mr. Boothby 31 10 0
Two ovals of Dove Dale, with frames Mr. Boothby 42 0 0
A close scene, morning, from Cozens B. Boothby 31 10 0
A View in Dove Dale, morning ¾ qrs. E. Mundy, Esqre 31 10 0
Companion, in do., moonlight Do. 31 10 0
A small oval of Dovedale Mr. Parsons 14 14 0
An eruption of Vesuvius, from the Shore of
Posilipo, on panel 42 0 0
Two small pictures of the island of Caprea
Hero & Leander--Storm The Honble Thos.
Fitzmaurice 105 0 0
Its companion, moonlight Do. 105 0 0
Margaret & William 84 0 0
The Siege of Gibraltar Mr. Jno.
Milnes 420 0 0
An Indian Chief’s Widow 63 0 0
A Moonlight from Comus 84 0 0
A Wood Scene by moonlight, & frame Mr. Thompson 31 10 0
The Corinthian Maid 105 0 0
Penelope unravelling her web, candle-light Mr. Wedgwood 105 0 0
June 7, 1783. Two small landskips 21 0 0
A 3 qrs. picture of a Lake in Italy, moonlight 31 10 0
A small ditto of ditto by moonlight 21 10 0
Its companion, a Land Storm
A small moonlight on the coast of Naples
A 3qrs. of Neptune’s Grotto, with the Given to my friend
Sybil’s Temple, &c. Tate
A Moonlight, with an eruption of V., from
the shore of Posilipo Mr. Bacon 26 5 0
The Companion, sunset in the Bay of Salerno Sold to my
friend
Holland 18 18 0
A view of Amalfi, sunset 14 14 0
A sunset from Cozens 31 10 0
Recd. Sep. ’85 of Mr. Gisborne for two large
drawings of Moses 8 0 0
A boy with a candle 4 4 0
A boy blowing a bladder 4 4 0
A small picture of Borrowdale T. Tate 12 12 0
A village on fire 63 0 0
The Convent of Cosimato. Mem. not paid For Mrs. Hayley 26 5 0
Cottage on fire Mr. Cunningham 21 0 0
Ditto Mr. N. Philips 52 10 0
A small picture of Lodore 12 12 0
The Lake of Nemi--on panel
A smallish picture of Ullswater, sunset Mr. Hardman 42 0 0
A Ditto of Windermere with Langdale Pikes T. M. Tate 42 0 0
A Large picture of Ullswater 42 0 0
A smallish one of the little cascade at Sir
Mic-la-Flemings L. Philips 31 10 0
Picture of a bridge with the effect of a
rainbow Mr. N. Philips 52 10 0
Ditto ditto
Keswick lake wh Skiddaw in the distance
A view upon Ullswater, morning 36 15 0
Ditto Keswick Lake, sunset Norris 36 15 0
A small picture of a view by the sea side, Sold to my
sun rising friend Tate 12 12 0
A cottage on fire Norris 42 0 0
A View of the outlet of Whyburn Lake For my friend
Tate 42 0 0
PICTURES KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN PAINTED BY WRIGHT BUT NOT
ENTERED IN THE MS. LIST.
[57]Conversation piece. Three of Mr. Bradshaw’s
children with a pet lamb
Port. of Mr. Woodville full-length
„ Mrs. Woodville do.
„ Dr. Wilson half-length
„ Miss Macauley
A CATALOGUE OF PRINTS ENGRAVED AFTER PAINTINGS
BY JOSEPH WRIGHT, OF DERBY.
SUBJECT. STYLE. ENGRAVER.
1 Two Boys with a Bladder Aquatint. J. P. Burdett.
2 Master Bradshaw and two Miss
Bradshaws with a Pet Lamb[58] Mezzotint. Valentine
Green.
3 Count Miravan, a young nobleman of
Syria, who having extravagantly
lavished away his fortune, breaks
open the tomb of his ancestors,
expecting to find great treasure Ditto. Ditto.
4 A philosopher giving a Lecture on the
the Orrery.[59] The following names
are copied from the margin of a
print of the Orrery, written in the
year 1768, and are believed to be
the persons represented:--J. Wright,
Mr. Burdett taking notes, young
Cantrell, A. Winterman, Mr. G.
Snowden, Mr. Denby as the
philosopher Ditto. Ditto.
5 A Philosopher giving a Lecture on
the Air Pump, in which are
introduced portraits similar to
above[60] Ditto. Ditto.
6 “The Gladiator.” Mr. Wright in this
picture has introduced himself in
profile, and he and the other two
figures (Burdett and old John
Wilson of the Devonshire
Almshouses), are comparing the
drawing he has made with the
Statue Ditto. W. Pether.
7 Democritus found studying Anatomy Ditto. Ditto.
8 An Alchymist[59] Ditto. Ditto.
9 A Farrier’s Shop Ditto. Ditto.
10 Master Ashton (with Dog) Ditto. Ditto.
11 A Drawing Academy Ditto. Ditto.
12 A Drawing Academy, 8vo. Outline. Normand.
13 A Blacksmith’s Shop Mezzotint Richard
Earlom.
14 An Iron Forge Ditto. Ditto.
15 John Harrison, Esq., Surgeon, Derby Ditto. J. R. Smith.
16 Edwin, the Minstrel (portrait of
Thomas Haden, Esq.) Ditto. Ditto.
17 Ditto. Etching. F. Seymour
Haden.
18 Three Children of Walter Synnott,
Esq. (with Birdcage) Mezzotint. J. R. Smith.
19 William and Margaret, taken from an
Old Ballad Ditto. Ditto.
20 The Indian Widow Ditto. Ditto.
21 The Lady in Milton’s Comus Mezzotint. J. R. Smith.
22 Dr. Darwin, with pen in right hand.
(“An alteration in the Face and
Wig from the Original, and for
the worse”) Ditto. Ditto.
23 Ditto, with hands resting on a J. T.
polished table[61] Line. Wedgwood.
24 “The Captive,” from Sterne’s
Sentimental Journey Dotted. Ryder.
25 “The Captive,” from Sterne. Engraved
for Mr. Milnes, of Wakefield: who
destroyed the plate when twenty
impressions had been taken off Mezzotint. J. R. Smith.
26 Distant View of Vesuvius, from shore
of Posilipo Line. Wm. Byrne.
27 “The Dead Soldier” Line. J. Heath.
28 Ditto, same size as above, but a
much inferior print Mezzotint. W. Dickinson.
29 “The Dead Soldier,” small Line. Bovinet.
30 Prospero entertaining Ferdinand and
Miranda with Spectacle. From the
“Tempest.” For Boydell’s Line &
Shakspeare Gallery Stipple. Thew.
31 The Storm, Antigonus pursued by the
Bear. From the “Winter’s Tale.”
For Boydell’s Shakspeare Gallery Line. Middiman.
32 John Whitehurst, F.R.S., of Derby,
“an elegant Engraving, and very
like.” 8vo. in oval (another in
oval on a pedestal) Line. J. Hall.
33 Sir Richard Arkwright, Kt. Mezzotint. J. R. Smith.
34 Sir Richard Arkwright, Kt., small
(various) Line. A. R. Meyer &
others.
35 Dr. Wilson. (Drawn by T. Lawrence) J. & C.
Sherwin.
36 Miss Kitty Dressing. Published
February, 1781 Mezzotint. J. Watson.
37 Portrait of Himself, wearing a hat Ditto. Ward.
38 Ditto, ditto Line. M. V. Sears.
39 Jedediah Strutt, Esq. (various) Line &
Stipple. Meyer.
40 Rev. Thomas Seward Line. Cromer.
41 Fireworks from the Castle of St.
Angelo, Rome, 8vo. Line. Radcliffe.
42 “Maria,” from Sterne’s “Sentimental
Journey” Mezzotint. John Raphael
Smith.
43 Thos. Day Line &
Stipple. Meyer.
44 Moonlight View in Italy. Size of Aquatint. Fras. Eginton,
plate 21 × 16½ 1781.
45 The Twins (plate in this volume) Etching. F. Seymour
Haden.
46 Miss Wrights. Two Girls with a Pet
Lamb Mezzotint. S. Paul.
There are several other Minor Prints after him. Also two very fine
Mezzo Prints, scarce, 2 ft. 6½ in. × 2 ft. 2 in. of a Boy and a Girl
with a Bladder, and Two Girls with a Lighted Stick, with the name of W.
Tate, pinxit (a friend of Wright’s), which is evidently an error, as it
is known that Wright did paint these two pictures, and it is presumed
that Mr. Tate had them engraved, hence the error.
A Portrait of the artist, engraved by Blake, was used as a frontispiece
to J. Leigh Philips’ article on Wright, in the “Monthly Magazine,” of
Sept. 1797. Blake engraved his plate from an etching by Wright himself,
and of which only one copy is now known to exist.
NOTE.--The celebrated Engraving, “The Fishery,” engraved by
Woollett, often ascribed as after “Wright, of Derby,” was painted by a
Richard Wright, of Liverpool.
It is interesting to know at what prices the fine Mezzotint
Prints were published, and the following list is copied from a
bill for Prints, receipted by W. Pether:--
£ s. d.
Gladiator 0 15 0
Orrery 1 1 0
Air Pump 0 15 0
Academy 0 15 0
Farrier’s Shop 0 10 6
Master Ashton 0 6 0
Miravin 0 10 6
Blacksmith’s Shop 0 15 0
Hermit 0 15 0
Alchymist 1 1 0
---------
£7 4 0
“Rec^d May 1^{st} 1778, of John Milnes, Esqr., by M^{r.}
Wright, the above sum, in full of all demands.”
By W^M PETHER.
£7 4 0.
INDEX OF PERSONS.
Allen, Mr., 102.
Almond, Rev., 5.
Angelo, Michael, 39, 41, 42, 69, 90, 91, 93, 111.
Arkwright, Richard, 42, 51, 84.
„ Elizabeth, 42.
„ F. C., 42, 84.
„ John, 42.
„ Joseph, 42.
„ Sir Richard, 51, 81, 111.
Ashley, Rev., 7.
Ayton, Brassey, Lee & Co., 91.
Bacon, Mr. (sculptor), 53.
Bainbrigge, Thomas, jun., 102.
Bakewell, Mr., 103.
Barber (artist), 55.
Barker, J., 17.
Barrow, Mr., 89.
Bassano, Mrs., 69.
Bates, Dr., 12, 111.
Baxter, Mr., 35, 70.
Beattie, Dr., 68, 69.
Beechy, Sir W., 111.
Belper, Lord, 10, 79.
Bemrose, W., 26.
Bentley, Mr., 48, 69, 80.
Berghem, 41.
Beridge, Dr., 25, 82.
„ Mrs., 81, 82.
Blackwall, Rev., 9.
Blake, Mr., 106.
Bousfield, Rev. H. N., 52.
Boot, Mrs., 10.
Botts, 41.
Boydell, Alderman, 63, 64, 97, 98, 100, 101.
Brentnall, Mr., 29.
Brookes, Hannah, 3.
Buckley, Edmund, 81.
Buckston, Rev. German, 82.
Burdett, P. P., 9, 11, 12, 33, 48, 76, 77, 78, 84.
„ Mrs., 78.
Cade, Mr., 81.
„ Mrs., 9.
„ Miss, 56.
Carleill, Mr., 52.
„ Mrs., 52.
Cantrell, Mr., 76.
Caracci, Ludivico, 39.
Cesar, Mr., 29.
Chantrey, Mr. (sculptor), 5.
Chesterfield, Lord, 3.
Christie, Mr., 106, 107, 111.
Clayton, Mr. and Mrs., 30.
Clyfford, Mr., 82.
Coke, Daniel Parker, 10.
„ Mr., jun., 30, 33.
Coleman, Mr., 32, 35.
Copley, Mr., 36, 99.
Corbould, Mr., 73, 74.
Correggio, 35, 36, 38, 40.
Cox, Rev. Dr., 1.
Cumberland, Duchess of, 44.
„ George, 106.
Curtis, Capt. R., 59.
Darwin, Erasmus, 56, 69, 79, 80, 87, 95.
„ Reginald. D. D., 80.
Daulby, Mr., 85, 86, 87, 88.
Day, Mr., 79, 80.
Daykene, Anne, 3.
Dean, George, 75.
Denby, Charles, 9.
Denby, Mr. (organist), 9, 10, 76.
Derry, Bishop of, 43.
Domenichino, 39.
Downman, Mr. (artist), 30.
Downman, Mrs., 37.
Drewry, J., 114.
Edkins, William, 106.
Egerton, Messrs. T. and J., 3.
Eley, Mr., 50.
Elliott, General, 59, 76.
Fallows, Mr., 47, 78.
Farrington, Mr., 48, 66.
Ferrers, Lady, 44.
„ Earl, 69, 76, 77, 78.
Fitzherberts, The, 50.
„ Alleyne, 51.
Flaxman, 82.
Flint, Mrs., 30.
Forrester, Mr., 37.
Fowler, Miss, 30.
Fox, Mrs., 28, 30.
French, Capt., 31.
Fuzeli, Mr., 71.
Gainsborough, 16, 44, 45, 67.
Garbage, Edmund, 61.
Garvey, Mr., 57, 61, 62.
Gell, Dorothy, 2.
Gibbon, Mr., 78, 79.
Gilpin, Mr., 97, 98.
Giotto, 40.
Girardot & Co., 37.
Gisborne, Rev. Thos., 9, 25, 26, 92, 95, 102, 115.
„ John, 51.
Gray, Caroline, 3.
Gray, Sir James, 3.
Greasley, Mr., 31.
Greenwood, Mr., 28.
Griffith, Hon. Mrs., 25.
Hacket, Bishop, 1.
Haden, Ann, 11.
„ F. Seymour, 11, 68, 69.
„ Mr., 9, 47, 68, 69.
„ Sarah, 11.
Hall, Messrs., 51.
Hardman, Mr., 86, 92.
„ Mrs., 64.
Harrison, John (singer), 5.
„ J. R., 100.
Hayley, Mrs., 81, 82, 83.
„ (Poet), 25, 26, 28, 43, 44, 57, 58, 61, 62, 69, 76, 81, 82,
83, 98.
„ T. A. (sculptor), 69, 82, 83.
Heath, Mr., 64, 66, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 88, 89, 94, 101.
Heathcote, Mr., 29.
Heathcote, Capt., 30.
„ Col., 30.
Heathfield, Lord, 59.
Hogarth (artist), 11.
Holland, Jno., 26, 53, 79, 96, 102.
„ Mr., Ford House, 52, 111.
Holworthy, James, 4.
Hope, Rev., 9, 10.
Hopner, Mr., 111.
Houghton, Lord, 68.
Humphrey, Osias, 37.
Hudson (portrait painter), 5, 6, 8, 11, 48, 50.
Hurleston, 27, 30, 31, 47.
„ F. T., 27.
Hurt, Charles, 53.
„ Francis, 42.
Jenkins, Mr., 37.
Johnson, Dr., 11.
„ John, LL.D., 82.
Lansdowne, Lord, 12, 72, 73.
Langhorne, Mr., 70.
Lawrence, Mr., 111.
Long, Mr., 100.
Macauley, Miss, 45.
Macklin, Mr., 101.
Martin, Mr., 64, 66.
McNiven, Mr., 91.
Meredith, Sir Wm., 34.
Meteyard, Miss, 80.
Meynell, Mr., 31.
Mundy, F. N. C., 10.
Montague, Mr., 37.
Middiman, Mr., 89.
Milbourne, Mr., 63, 93.
Miles, Captain, 46.
„ Mr., 46.
Milnes, J., 74.
Moreland, Mr., 26, 91, 92.
Morewood, Mrs., 52.
Moreland, Mr., 74.
Mortimer (artist), 8, 33, 58, 69, 78, 79.
Mosley, Mr., 114.
Nash, Jno., 1.
Newton, Mr., 58.
Noell, Counsellor, 7.
Northcote, Mr., 99.
Oakes, James, 11.
Oliver, Thomas, 10.
Oxford, Lord, 8.
Orred, Major, 55.
Osmaston, John, 77.
Overstone, Lord, 74.
Palladio, 40.
Parry, Mr., 36.
Pasquin, Anthony, 57, 61, 62.
Pether, Mr., 31.
Phelps, Mr., 50.
Philips, H., 89, 91, 92, 100.
„ J. L., 57, 58, 62, 63, 64, 65, 70, 72, 73, 74, 85, 88, 90, 91,
92, 93, 94, 95, 102, 104, 105, 106.
„ N., 94.
Pickford, Joseph, 55, 56.
Pindar, Peter, 69, 79.
Pope, The, 34.
Poussin, 38.
Prig, Mr., 62.
Prince Charles Edward, 7.
Raphael, 37, 38, 39.
Rawlinson, Mr., 50.
Rawson, Mr., 31.
Redgrave, Messrs., 26, 41, 58, 66, 67, 68.
„ R., 67.
„ S., 58.
Rembrant, 40.
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, R.A., 1, 5, 8, 44, 48, 67, 98, 99.
Robins, Mr., 16, 17.
Rogers, Mr., 101.
Romney, Mr., 28, 36, 37, 83, 98.
Rought, Thos., 77.
Russia, Catherine, Empress of, 30, 35, 80, 85.
Sale, Mrs., 76.
Salmon, Captain, 40.
Scarsdale, Lord, 37.
Seward, Anna, 69, 79, 81.
Shackleford, Mr., 29.
Shaw, Mr., 112, 114.
Shelton, Mrs., 28, 30.
Sikes, Joseph, 52.
Simpson and North, Messrs., 55.
Smeeton, J., 110.
Smith (artist), 26.
„ Mr., 87, 89.
Smirke, Mr., 74.
Snowden, G., 76.
Sotheby, William, 31, 70.
Sproule, Mrs., 44.
Stephens, F. G., 62, 81.
Sterne, 26, 52, 69, 70.
Stevens, Mr., 37.
Swift, Ann, 27.
Synnott, Walter, 52.
Tacet (musician), 9.
Tate, Jno. Moss, 5.
„ R., 31.
„ Thomas, 26, 31, 32, 33, 63, 64, 65, 66, 77, 85, 87, 88, 89, 91,
92, 93, 94, 95, 100, 101, 103.
Teniers, 40.
Thacker, Mr., 3.
Thornton, Mr., 82.
Tintoret, 39.
Titian, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40.
Turner, J. M. W., R.A., 4, 31, 111.
„ Dr., 83.
Tyrrell, Walter, 68.
Van, Mr. and Mrs., 30.
Vandicke, 40.
Vasari, Mr., 63, 101.
Veronese, Paul, 39, 40.
Wallis, Sarah, 4.
Ward, Mr. and Miss, 47.
Waste, Joan, 56.
Watkins, Nan, 78.
Wedgwood, Godfrey, 26, 61.
„ Josiah, 26, 48, 69, 80, 83.
West, Mr., 98, 99.
Whiatt, Mr., 88.
Whitehurst, Mr., 34.
Wilcockson, Frances, 2.
Williams, John, 61, 62.
Wilmot, Sir Eardley, 3.
Wilson, Capt. John, 2.
„ Dr., 45.
„ Old John, 11.
„ Richard, 1, 53.
Winter, Mr., 10.
Winterman, A., 76.
Winstanley and Taylor, Messrs., 71.
Wolcott, Dr., 79.
Wolfe, General, 71.
Wollett, Mr. (engraver), 5.
Wood, Bishop, 1.
Wood, Mr., 24.
Woodville, Mrs., 55.
Woodward, G. W., 56.
Woty, W., 77.
Wright, Anne Elizabeth, or “Nancy,” 4, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 36, 48.
„ Dr. Richard (of London), 3.
„ “Equity Wright,” 3, 4.
„ Francis, 77.
„ Hannah, 4.
„ Harriett, 103.
„ John, 3.
„ Joseph, 4.
„ Rev. John, 1, 2.
„ Richard (of Derby), 3, 6, 27, 34, 41, 51, 77, 105, 106, 111,
115.
„ Richard (marine painter), 5.
BEMROSE & SONS, PRINTERS, DERBY; AND 23, OLD BAILEY, LONDON.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] From Episcopal Registers of the See of Lichfield.
[2] “On Tuesday morning, at this place, aged 78, Mrs. Hannah Wright:
whose pious and amiable disposition endeared her to those friends, her
very delicate state of health, and long retirement had confined the
knowledge of her virtues, and the poor will have to lament the loss of
a kind benefactress. She was eldest sister to R.J. Wright, M.D., and to
the late eminent painter, Joseph Wright, Esqre.”--_Derby Mercury_, Nov.
7, 1810.
[3] Richard Wright was a marine painter of Liverpool, born 1735, died
1775, who painted “The Fishery,” which was engraved by Wollett.
[4] Sir Joshua Reynolds and Mortimer were also pupils under Hudson,
who, Lord Oxford tells us, pleased the country gentlemen “with his
honest similitudes, fair tied wigs, blue velvet coats, and white satin
waistcoats, which he bestowed liberally on his customers.” Hudson,
however, though an Artist of little imagination, was a sound painter
and probably a good master.
[5] Denby published several music books, a collection of hymn tunes,
sonatinos and rondas for the harpsichord.
[6] We here transcribe the Rules of the Derby Assembly of about this
period; they are interesting and curious--
RULES
TO BE OBSERVED IN THE LADIES’ ASSEMBLY IN DERBY.
1.--No Attorney’s Clerk shall be admitted. 2.--No Shopkeeper, or any of
his or her Family shall be admitted, except Mr. Franceys. 3.--No Lady
shall be allowed to Dance in a long white Apron. 4.--All young Ladies
in Mantuas shall pay 2s. 6d. 5.--No Miss in a Coat shall Dance without
Leave of the Lady of the Assembly. 6.--Whosoever shall transgress any
of these Rules, shall be turned out of the Assembly Room.
Several of the above-mentioned _Rules_ having of late been broke
through, they are now Printed by our order, and signed by Us, the
present Ladies and Governors of the Assembly.
ANNE BARNES. DOROTHY EVERY. ELISABETH EYRE. BRIDGET BAILEY. R.
FITZHERBERT. HESTER MUNDY.
[7] The first Exhibition was held in April, 1760. The Catalogue of
1761 has two satirical subjects after Hogarth, and that for 1762 has a
preface from the pen of Dr. Johnson. There were no Exhibitions in 1779,
81, and 82, nor were there any between 1783 and 1790. The last was in
1791.
[8] The sitters in this picture were old John Wilson, an inmate of the
Devonshire almshouses, Mr. Burdett, and the artist himself.
[9] Captain Salmon, who then lived at Breadsall Priory, near Derby, sat
to Wright as Romeo.
[10] The Frontispiece Plate in this volume is taken from this painting,
now in the possession of the Honourable Mrs. Griffith, Yoxall Lodge,
Staffordshire.
[11] “The Mr. Hurleston who went with Mr. Wright of Derby, to Italy in
1773, was my great uncle. He was a very promising young artist, but
immediately after his return to this country, was killed by lightning
while riding across Salisbury Plain in a storm. His name occurs in the
early catalogues of the Royal Academy.”--_Extract from a letter from F.
Y. Hurleston, President of the Incorporated Society of British Artists,
August, 1850._
[12] This has reference to the first voyage of his nephew, Richard
Wright, in the service of the East India Company; two other members of
the family were previously in that service.
[13] Now in the possession of the writer, with many other sketches.
[14] Simpson’s _History of Derby_.
[15] There is little doubt that this is John Downman, R.A.
[16] It is recorded that Catherine, Empress of Russia, purchased
pictures by the most eminent masters in every capital of Europe,
and when she died in 1796, she left at the Hermitage 1,383 valuable
paintings. Of these only eight belonged to the English school.
[17] No. 321. The Old Man and Death.--Society of Artists’ Exhibition.
[18] J. Whitehurst, a celebrated Machinist, and Author of the “Theory
of the Earth.”
[19] Osias Humphrey, miniature painter and R.A., was in Italy about
this time with Romney.
[20] Anna Romana Wright, daughter of Joseph and Anne Wright.
[21] Hannah Wright, daughter of Richard and Sarah Wright.
[22] The Bishop of Derry.
[23] From a memo.:--“Entered Mrs. Sproule’s House 9th Nov., 1775. My
horse went to Ward’s Livery Stable 29th Dec., 1775.”
[24]
No. 147 in Catalogue of Society of Artists, 1776--“An Eruption of Mount
Vesuvius.” „ 148 „ „ „ „ “The Annual Girandolo at the Castle of St.
Angelo at Rome.”
[25] Redgrave’s Century of Painters.
[26] Life of Richard Wilson.
[27] St. Helen’s.
[28] Hutton, in his “History of Derby,” says--“1601. A woman burnt in
Windmill Pit, for poisoning her husband.” From this it appears it was
the usual place of execution for criminals for many years.
[29] Joan Waste, blind from her birth, the daughter of a poor barber,
in the parish of All Hallowes (All Saints’), was, at the age of 22,
burnt as a heretic in Windmill Pit, just outside the town. She was a
godly woman, learned in the Holy Scriptures, which she was diligent in
getting read to her, and condemned for denying transubstantiation, and
after being taken to All Saints’ Church to hear a sermon on herself,
she was burnt on the first of August, 1556.
[30] Chichester: Printed by Dennett Jaques. 1783.
[31] _Cynthia_--Same as Diana, who by some is supposed to have presided
over the moon. So called from her having been born at Cynthus.
[32] _Calpe_, Mount--Synonymous with Gibraltar.
[33] _Elliott_, General, was appointed to the command of Gibraltar in
1776, and defended it at the siege in 1783. In 1787 he was created Lord
Heathfield, Baron Gibraltar.
[34] _Curtis_, Captain Rodger, of the Marine Brigade, afterwards
knighted for his gallant conduct in rescuing the enemy from the burning
ships, on September 14th, 1782, to which allusion is made in verses 5
and 6.
[35] John Williams.
[36] “Harp Alley” Shoe Lane, London, was the market for house signs
before they were abolished.
[37] Boydell.
[38] In the possession of the late Lord Overstone at the time of his
decease.
[39] The Painter.
[40] Gibbon, the Historian of Rome.
[41] Now in the possession of Lord Belper.
[42] Now in the possession of Reginald Darwin, D. D.
[43] Author of “Louisa, a Poetical Novel,” 1782, and “Original
Sonnets,” 1799.
[44] These interesting portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hayley are now in the
possession of the Rev. German Buckston.
[45] Now in possession of the writer.
[46] The Society of Arts, who built the Lyceum.
[47] When St. Alkmund’s Church was re-built, the tablet was removed
from the pillar and affixed to the wall of the South Porch.
[48] “Monthly Magazine,” October 17th, 1797.
[49] For many years a “Grand Musical Festival” was held in Derby, in
October, and produced large sums in aid of the General Infirmary.
The best musical talent of the day was engaged. On this occasion,
the oratorios, “The Messiah,” “The Creation,” “Judas Maccabeus,”
and “Israel in Egypt,” and a selection from Handel, Boyce, etc.,
were performed in All Saints’ Church, in which Madame Catalani, Miss
Travis, Mrs. Shepley, and Mrs. Bianchi, Mr. Harrison, Messrs. Goss,
Elliott, Whall, and Bartleman took part. The Chorus was supported by
the celebrated Female Singers from Lancashire; also by performers from
the Ancient and Vocal Concerts, London, and from various Cathedrals.
Messrs. Harrison and Greatorex conducted the orchestra of 150
performers. A ball took place in the New Assembly Room, and two grand
concerts in the theatre. On the first day a sermon was preached by the
Archbishop of York, the offertory amounting to £354.
INFIRMARY DONATIONS.--Messrs. Cade and Chappell, being monies received
at the Exhibition at the Town Hall of the late Mr. Wright’s pictures,
£7 13s. 0d.--(_Derby Mercury_, Dec. 4, 1810.)
[50] Engraved in mezzotint. See list.
[51] Engraved by Mayer. See list.
[52] Engraved in mezzotint. See list.
[53] Engraved in “line.” See list.
[54] Engraved. See list of Engravings.
[55] Engraved and also etched.
[56] _a_ to _i_ engraved. See list of Engravings.
[57] Engraved. See list.
[58] This print is often miscalled the Family of Wright, of Derby.
[59] The original painting is now in the Derby Art Gallery.
[60] The original painting is now in the National Gallery.
[61] Wedgwood’s Medallion of Dr. Darwin, with his arms resting upon
a table, is taken from Wright’s painting of the Doctor, now in the
possession of Reginald Darwin, Esq., The Fern, Buxton.
Transcriber’s Notes:
1. Obvious printers’, spelling and punctuation errors have been
silently correct.
2. Where appropriate, original spelling has been retained.
3. Superscripts are represented using the caret character, e.g. D^r.
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