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:—