“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.’ Mr. 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 Mr. Moreland’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.”
MISS DUESBURY.