THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, OR LITERARY MISCELLANY, MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE OF THE LATE JOSEPH WRIGHT, ESQ. OF DERBY, WITH A LIST OF HIS PRINCIPAL PAINTINGS. JOSEPH OSEPH WRIGHT was born at Derby, on the 3d. Sept. 1734, and was the fon of a very refpectable attorney there; he received his education at the free grammar fchool, under the care of the Rev. Mr Almond. During his youth he fhewed a great fondnefs for all kinds of mechanical employments, fpending most of his lei fure hours in watching the operations of expert workmen, whofe performances he frequently imitated. These occupations foon gave place to his affection for drawing, which foon fhewed itself; and, having difcovered confiderable adroitnefs in taking likeneffes very often of persons whom he had only once feen, his father was induced to comply with his earnest wishes, by looking out for a fituation in London where he might have better opportunities of making improvement. Hudfon could furnish. It must not, however, be forgotten, that Sir Jofhua Reynolds and Mortimer were likewife pupils of the fame mafter, which affords a ftriking proof of the great abilities of this triumvirate, who could arrive at fuch eminence in their profeffion, in fpire of the obfacles, which at that period, they had to combat with. After Mr Wright's return from his fecond abode with Hudfon, he painted many portraits in a very fuperior ftyle; and, foon after the year 1760, he produced a fet of hiftorical pictures, which may defervedly rank amongst the earlieft valuable productions of the modern fchool. Of thefe the Blackfmith's Forge, Air Pump, Gladiator, and several others, are very well known by Pether's metzotintos. In 1773, he was married, and indulged his with of vifiting Italy, where he remained fully two years studying the works of the first mafters, and more efpecially the inimitable productions of Michael Angelo, in the Capella Feftina of the Vatican; of many parts of which he made faithful drawings, upon a larger fcale than has generally been attempted, as he confidered thofe fubjects but ill adapted for pocket-book sketches. These treafures of art have hitherto remained, in a great degree, loft to the world, having fcarcely been feen except by Mr Wright's particular friends, to Sf2 Hudson was the most eminent portrait painter of that day, and, in 1751, young Wright was placed with him for the term of two years, after which time he returned to Derby, and painted several portraits in that neighbourhood with tolerable fuccefs: not being fatisfied with his own productions, he returned to London in 1756, and remained fifteen months longer with his old mafter Hudson for want of a more able preceptor, as he often lamented that it was not in his power to obtain, better inftructions than whom whom he fhewed them, when his im agination was warmed with a defcription of the divine originals. In 1775, he returned to England, and refided two years at Bath, after which time his refidence was entirely at Derby. Being frequently urged by his friends to fix in London, he had it often in contemplation to remove thither, but had never refolution to leave the place where his family had fo long refided, and to which he was fo much attached, that it daily became more difficult for him to refolve upon a removal, particularly as he dedicated the whole of his time to the ftudy of his profeflion, fo that, for many years paft, (with the exception of a few particular friends,) he scarcely with ed for any fociety beyond that of his own family. In 1793, he visited the lakes of Weftmoreland and Cumberland, where he was fo much pleased with the extraordinary effects he witneffed, that notwithstanding his health was then much impaired, he made ftudies from which he has produced a few pictures ftill finer than any he had before painted; not contenting him felf with giving mere portraits of the fcenery, but imitating, with great fuccefs, thofe brilliant effects of light and fhade which characterize our variable atmofphere.* His health continued to decline, until at length, on the 29th of August, 1797, he paid the great debt of nature, which was to him a happy release from a tedious and painful illness. In his perfon he was rather above the middle fize, and, when young, was esteemed a very handfome man; his company was then much courted on account of his pleafing vivacity and convivial babits; his eyes were prominent and very expreffive; in his manners he was mild, unaffuming, modeft to an extreme, generous and full of fen fibility, with the perfect carriage of a gentleman; honourable and punctual in all his tranfactions, he entertained the most utter contempt for every thing like meannefs or illiberality; and his good heart felt but too poig nantly for the misconduct of others.It may truly be observed of him, that he ftedfastly acted on the principle of always continuing to learn; from converfation, from examining pictures, and, above all, from the ftudy of na ture, he was conftantly endeavouring to advance in the knowledge of his art; and to this habit, as wife as it was modeft, of confidering himself through life as a learner, no small fhare of his excellence may be afcribed. This difpofition was naturally attended with a candid readiness to adopt, from the practice of other artifts, new modes of proceeding, when they appeared to him rational, and to make trial in ftudies on a small scale, of fuch as feemed in a tolerable degree promifing. To the judgment of his friends, who had directed any share of attention to landscape, or other branches of his art, he was always ready to give, at the very leaft, the weight which it deferved, and was folicitous to draw forth their objections and doubts, in order to profit by them. He well knew how defective and poor the highest efforts of art are, when compared with the grandeur and beauty of nature, and fhewed at once his modefty and judgment, by expreffing this fentiment in the ftrongeft language. Landscape painters fometimes learn from admiring pictures, as imitations of nature, to admire nature merely as the imitation of a picture, and proportion their A critic, whofe eccentricity of thought is more admirable than his candour, has fatirized fome of Mr Wright's waker, as giving the idea of vermicelli, on account of fome brilliant accidental lights; but, as that gentleman has never feen any of Mr Wright's beft landscapes, he cannot (even with the infpiration which his muse may furnish) be acquainted with merits which he could not but admire, if they were fubmitted to his more fuber judgment. their approbation of any particular fcene, to the refemblance which they fancy they difcover between it and the works of fome favourite mafter; but from this profeffional prejudice, Mr Wright was entirely free, confidering nature as the beft of models. Simplicity and truth were the objects of his researches, and it is much to be lamented that he could not be prevailed upon to commit his obfervations to writing, to which he was frequently urged by his friends, who knew the rock upon which his theory of the art was eftablished, where nothing occurs to alarm fober judgment, nor to require voluminous explanations, which ferve only to bewilder the understanding. He daily followed that excellent advice of du Frefnoy, which we lament is in general, but too much difregarded. We fhall conclude our account of Mr Wright in his private capacity as a man, with obferving that he repeatedly evinced much liberality, by giving valuable pictures to individuals among his private friends, or to perfons to whom he thought himself obliged. In various inftances these gifts were manifeftly difinterested; and they were always conferred in a very pleafing manner which declined rather than fought the expreffion of gratitude. Amongst the principal of his early historical pictures may be reckoned the Air Pump, Orrery, Academy, Hermit,Chemift, Blackfmith's Forge, and others, which were painted prior to his vifiting Italy; and, as the fubjects were interefting, they attracted, in a confiderable degree, the public attention, and ferved to eftablifh his reputation as an artist many years before the foundation of the Royal Academy. Immediately up on his return from Italy he exhibited fome pictures of Mount Vefuvius, under different effects, attending a memorable eruption which happened during his refidence at Naples; and having likewife feen a magnificent difplay of fireworks from the caftle of St Angelo on the election of the prefent pope, he produced a furprifing picture of that extraordinary fpectacle-thefe works being far beyond what had hitherto been produced, procured him the higheft reputation in fire light fubjects, in the painting of which he contrived an apparatus purpofely for illuminating the objects with artificial lights, whereby he was enabled to imitate the real tints of nature more accurately, than, perhaps any other painter in that line had hitherto done. In moonlight likewife his pictures are allowed to hold the highest rank, and it cannot be deemed an exaggeration to affert, that they remain unrivalled; neither is it likely they will be exceeded, until fome fuperior artift, poffeffing a more refined taste and correct judgment, will, like him, pass his evenings in ftudying the curious and delicate. hues of objects under the various circumftances attendant upon fcenes of this nature, which have by many painters, been confidered as compofed merely of black and white, without attention to the numberlefs beautiful tints unnoticed by fuperficial obfervers, but which constitute a principal excellence in Mr Wright's works. His judicious combination of fire and moon-light has particularly attracted the admiration of connoiffeurs; but this excellence was the refult of that accuracy of difcrimination, which was Mr Wright's great characteristic, and which led him to treat every circumftance with precifion, contending that no part of a picture ought to be left imperfect, neither fhould a tint be introduced that was incongruous with the general harmony. If the portraits, which he painted, fall short of the grandeur and brilliance of Sir Joshua's beft works, they may juftly lay claim to the merit of truth and correctness, and of giving, what what he always aimed to arrest, the true character of nature. Had he refided in London there can be little doubt he would have thone in a very confpicuous point of view in this more profitable occupation; but, happily for the admirers of the higher branches of the art, he devoted his attention to other objects, and his portraits are moftly confined to the immediate neighbourhood of Derby; this remark may likewife, 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 difpofed of even before finished, and to a repugnance which he felt at fending his works to an exhi. bition, where he had too much caufe to complain of their being very improperly placed, and fometimes even upon the ground, that, if poffible, they might efcape the public eye*. This narrow jealoufy, added to the circumftance of his being rejected as an R. A. at the time Mr. Garvey was a fuccessful candidate, did not tend to increase his opinion of the liberality of his brethren in the profeffion. The academy, however, being afterwards aware of the impropriety of thus infulting a man of his abilities, deputed their fecretary, Newton, to Derby, to folicit his acceptance of a diploma, which he indignantly rejected, knowing how lit tle the inftitution could ferve him, and feeling, perhaps, a fatisfaction that his friend Mortimer and himself were both deemed equally unqualified to enjoy the honours attached to that royal establishmentt. He was at an early period appointed a member of the fociety of artists, to whofe exhibitions he contributed for many years. The hiftorical pictures which he painted fince his return from Italy, have proved how equal he was to compofitions of that nature, and that, as a colourift, he may rank with the greateft mafters. The carnations in that admirable picture of the Dead Soldier, have fcarcely been exceeded in the Venetian fchool; and the anatomical correctnefs in the drawing of the figures, evinces how fuccefsfully he had ftudied that fundamental branch of the profeffion. Two pictures of Hero and Leander, one being a calm and the other a stormy night; the ftudent in Virgil's Tomb;-Indian Widow and Lady in Comus, rank amongst his greater works; and, in feveral fludies of children, fome playing with bladders, and others with lighted charcoal, he had opportunities of indulging his powers of producing extraordinary effects. A fine cavern by moon light, in which he has introduced a large figure of Julia lamenting her banishment, in the poffeffion of D. Daulby, Efq. has, by many connoiffeurs, been confidered as one of his best performances, and particularly by those who admire the gufto of Michael Angelo which is eminently displayed in that figure. His ftyle of landscape painting is more varied, and confifts of a greater diverfity of fubjects than that of any other artist whose works we are acquainted with. Sometimes he excites the fublimeft ideas by his wonderful representations of ftupendous caverns, under the various effects of day, fire, or moon light; at other times we are foothed with the calm and * As a proof of the truth of this remark, the laft pictures he exhibited were placed upon the ground, in confequence of which they were so much injured by the feet of the company as to render it neceffary to have the frames repaired and regilded. + It being a notorious fact, that Sir Joshua Reynolds, Wilfon, Barrett, Gainsborough, Mortimer, and Wright, with moft refpectable artifts ftill living, arrived at their eminence without owing any obligations to the Royal Academy, it is a fair queftion to inquire how far the arts have advanced in confequence of that inftitution ? and fill fcenery of Italy, in which he introduces the clear and brilliant kies peculiar to that climate; he again, in his laft pictures, exhibits the moft playful execution, and charming effects, which conttitute the principal beauty of our own mountain fcenery in Weftmoreland and Cum berland. Upon thefe fubjects his pencil was last employed, and, as a proof that his unremitting application was productive of farther advances towards perfection, his laft work (not entirely finished) being a view of the Head of Ulefwater Lake, from Lyulph's Tower, may juftly be confidered as the finest of all his landfcapes, and a work which alone would place his reputation along with that of the most eminent maf ters. His principal fire lights are a large Vefuvius, fold to the Emprefs of Ruffia for 300 guineas; a girandolo, its companion, in the fame collection; the destruction of the floating batteries off Gibraltar, in the poffeffion of J. Milnes, Efq. of Wakefield, and other fubjects, for many of which he received confiderable prices. In addition to the character which he merits for the executive part of his art, it is pleafing to record, that in his works the attention is ever directed to the caufe of virtue; that his early hiftorical pictures confift of fubjects either of rational or moral improvement, and he has fucceeded admirably in arrefting the gentler feelings of humanity; for what eye or heart ever remained unmoved at the fight of Maria, Stern'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 with that fo exquifite a pencil had not found employment on more worthy fub je cts. His pictures may be confidered as the reflection of his own delicate mind, and will be ranked by pofterity as treasures worthy the imitation of fucceding generations. ANECDOTES OF MRS CLARKE, DAUGHTER OF COLLEY CIBBER, ESQ. From White's Collection of Poems. CIBI IBBER the elder, had a daughter named Charlotte, who alfo took to the flage; her fubfequent life was one continued feries of misfortune, afflictions and distress, which the fometimes contrived a little to alleviate by the productions of her pen. About the year 1755, fhe had worked up a novel for the prefs, which the writer accompanied his friend the bookfeller to hear read; fhe was at this time a widow, having been married to one Clarke a mufi. cian, long fince dead. Her habitation was a wretched thatched hovel, fituated on the way to Iflington in the purlieus of Clarkenwell bridewell, not very diftant from the new river head, where at that time it was ufual for the fcavengers to leave the clean fings of the ftreets, and the priests of Cloacina to depofit the offerings from the temples of that all-worshipped power. The night preceding a heavy rain had fallen, which rendered this extraordinary feat of the mufes almoft inacceffible, fo that in our approach we got our white ftockings inveloped with mud up to the very calves, which furnished an appearance much in the present fashionable ftyle of half boots. We knocked at the door (not attempting to pull the latch ftring) which was opened by a tall, meagre, ragged figure, with a blue apron, indicating, what elfe we might have doubted, the feminine gender. A perfect model for the copper captain's tattered landlady; that deplorable exhibition of the fair fex, |