The Life and Works of Joseph Wright, A.R.A., commonly called 'Wright of Derby' - William Bemrose

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.”