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Joseph (1756) Wright Sold at Auction Prices

Portrait painter, Modelleur, Etcher, b. 1756 - d. 1793

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  • Attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby (English, 1734-1797), Self Portrait aged 59
    May. 02, 2025

    Attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby (English, 1734-1797), Self Portrait aged 59

    Est: £60,000 - £80,000

    Attributed to Joseph Wright of Derby (English, 1734-1797) Self Portrait aged 59  Oil on canvas  This outstandingly rare self-portrait is possibly the last self-portrait by the artist that remains outside of public collections. Joseph Wright of Derby chronicled himself throughout his career with a group of insightful self-portraits. There are at least nine of these highly personal works, which he kept until his death. He seems to have painted one every ten years or so. This rarely exhibited work not only demonstrates his virtuoso technique, but he paints himself as a far more thoughtful and a far wiser man than some of his earlier portraits; less gauche, here is a man who has lived and accepted great success with grace. As Benedict Nicholson observed, “one side or another of this contradictory but in no way unaccountable character: the vivacity and the mildness, the conviviality and the querulousness, the vigour and the frailty – many things short of duplicity and meanness”. Provenance: John Holland of Ford Hall, Derbyshire (1734-1807) by whom left in a life interest to his widow and then in trust (Alderson was a Trustee) to the heirs of his relation Joseph Bilbie; His daughter and sole heiress Mary Anne Bilbie who married 1st March 1832 Francis Hall esq of Park Hall, Nottinghamshire, and who died 31st July 1877; Her nephew Francis Hall (1856-1928) son of her husband’s younger brother, Geoffrey  Brock Hall (Park Hall 1807 – Guelph, Canada, 1st April 1886); Flora Caroline Hall (née Hamilton) (6th September 1865 – 5th July 1939); Estate of the late Flora C Hall, being the contents of Rivers Lea, Guelph, Ontario, sale, Ward-Price & Co, Toronto 23-28 September 1946, lot 718 ; Toronto, Canada, Private Collection; Guernsey, Private Collection, purchased circa 1980 Literature: Wm. Bemrose (1885) The Life and Works of Joseph Wright A.R.A., commonly called Wright of Derby where a variant of the composition is reproduced as the frontispiece of the book; Benedict Nicholson (1968) Joseph Wright of Derby: Painter of Light pages 22, 134-5, 172 and Catalogue number 172 page 230 (as untraced), the composition recorded from a copy as figure 9; John Ingamells (2004) National Portrait Gallery: Mid-Georgian Portraits 1760-1790, pages 496-7 sub catalogue 4090,  Self-Portrait circa 1785; Elizabeth E. Barker, Walpole Society LXXI (2009) Documents relating to Joseph Wright 'of Derby' (1734-1797) page 147 #119 (letter to John Holland from Joseph Wright 3rd April 1794) Dimensions: (Canvas) 23 in. (H) x 17 in. (W) (Frame) 25 in. (H) x 20 in. (W) Martin Postle has recently disputed the authenticity of this work.

    Sloane Street Auctions
  • RESTRIKE MAJOR HENRY LEE III (VIRGINIA, 1756-1818), BATTLE OF PAULUS HOOK BRONZE MEDAL
    Mar. 22, 2024

    RESTRIKE MAJOR HENRY LEE III (VIRGINIA, 1756-1818), BATTLE OF PAULUS HOOK BRONZE MEDAL

    Est: $80 - $120

    RESTRIKE MAJOR HENRY LEE III (VIRGINIA, 1756-1818), BATTLE OF PAULUS HOOK BRONZE MEDAL, obverse depicting a bust of Lee signed "J. WRIGHT" at lower edge for Joseph Wright (American, 1756-1793), portrait painter and sculpture, reverse features ten lines of text within a wreath, the last line being "AUG. 1779." 20th century. 1 13/16" D.

    Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates
  • Joseph Wright - Firework Display at the Castel S. Angelo in Rome - 1996 Offset Lithograph 30" x 19.25"
    Nov. 07, 2023

    Joseph Wright - Firework Display at the Castel S. Angelo in Rome - 1996 Offset Lithograph 30" x 19.25"

    Est: $50 - $75

    "Firework Display at the Castel S. Angelo in Rome" by Joseph Wright, 1996 Unsigned Offset Lithograph. Paper size is 30 x 19.25 inches, with an image size of 24 x 19.25 inches. The Offset Lithograph is from an unknown edition size. and is not framed. The condition was rated B-: Good Condition, Signs of Handling and Age. Additional details: Poster created for the exhibition: British Art Treasures from Russian Imperial Collections in the Hermitage which was held during 1996-1997 at the Yale Center for British Art.

    DUMBO Auctions
  • Joseph Wright (1756-1793), Portrait of a Family: Likely the Gribble Family, at the Home of Mr. Nelson Gribble, Kenton, Devon, Englan...
    Oct. 28, 2020

    Joseph Wright (1756-1793), Portrait of a Family: Likely the Gribble Family, at the Home of Mr. Nelson Gribble, Kenton, Devon, Englan...

    Est: $20,000 - $30,000

    Joseph Wright (1756-1793) Portrait of a Family: Likely the Gribble Family, at the Home of Mr. Nelson Gribble, Kenton, Devon, England, dated, "1789" Signed and dated, "J. Wright Pinx 1789", l.l., the stretcher inscribed, "Mr. Wright at Mr. Gribble's, Kenton near Star Cross", oil on canvas, framed. 47 in. x 35 in. (sight) PROVENANCE: The Gribble Family, thence by descent to later successors of Wreyland Manor, early 20th century. Private Collection, Great Britain. This lot is accompanied by research compiled by James Heffernan, American Ancestors & New England Historic Genealogical Society.

    Freeman's | Hindman
  • JOSEPH WRIGHT (1756 - 1793) | Silhouette Portrait of Mr. Robert T. Baker and Family
    Jan. 18, 2018

    JOSEPH WRIGHT (1756 - 1793) | Silhouette Portrait of Mr. Robert T. Baker and Family

    Est: $3,000 - $5,000

    inscribed Mr. Robert T. Baker and family, lower left, and Joseph Wright pinxt / 1782 Philadelphia, lower right.

    Sotheby's
  • Joseph Wright (1756-1793)
    Jan. 01, 2018

    Joseph Wright (1756-1793)

    Est: $300 - $500

    Joseph Wright (Penna./N.Y./N.J., 1756-1793), miniature watercolor of a woman. Info verso. Sight 6" x 4".

    Copake Auction Inc.
  • Attributed to Joseph Wright (1756-1793), PAIR OF FAMILY PORTRAITS OF YOUNG BOYS, Pair of oils on panel; sculpted in the oval, each inscribed to partial labels verso, one dated 1781 verso, one indistinctly inscribed... “Wright” verso, Oval, each
    Feb. 25, 2016

    Attributed to Joseph Wright (1756-1793), PAIR OF FAMILY PORTRAITS OF YOUNG BOYS, Pair of oils on panel; sculpted in the oval, each inscribed to partial labels verso, one dated 1781 verso, one indistinctly inscribed... “Wright” verso, Oval, each

    Est: -

    ATTRIBUTED TO JOSEPH WRIGHT (1756-1793), AMERICAN/BRITISHPAIR OF FAMILY PORTRAITS OF YOUNG BOYSPair of oils on panel; sculpted in the oval, each inscribed to partial labels verso, one dated 1781 verso, one indistinctly inscribed... “Wright” versoOval, each 11" x 9" — 27.9 x 22.9 cm.Provenance:The Collection of Donald McLeish and James ShakleyNote:The artist was the first American-born student at the Royal Academy of Art, London, the first artist to sculpt a bust of George Washington, and the first to assume the position of Engraver of the U.S. Mint.Estimate: $700—1,000

    Waddington's
  • JOSEPH WRIGHT OF DERBY, A.R.A. | A grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, with the figure of Julia, banished from Rome
    Dec. 09, 2015

    JOSEPH WRIGHT OF DERBY, A.R.A. | A grotto in the Gulf of Salerno, with the figure of Julia, banished from Rome

    Est: £100,000 - £150,000

    oil on canvas, held in its original Wright of Derby Neo-Classical frame

    Sotheby's
  • SILHOUETTE OF A PHILADELPHIA LADY BY JOSEPH WRIGHT (AMERICAN, 1756-1793).
    Sep. 11, 2015

    SILHOUETTE OF A PHILADELPHIA LADY BY JOSEPH WRIGHT (AMERICAN, 1756-1793).

    Est: $400 - $800

    SILHOUETTE OF A PHILADELPHIA LADY BY JOSEPH WRIGHT (AMERICAN, 1756-1793). Signed below and dated 1783. In a 19th-century oval frame, 7.25"h. 6"w. Wright is best known for his portrait of Benjamin Franklin, and his bas relief and printed portraits of George Washington.

    Garth's Auctioneers & Appraisers
  • Joseph Wright
    Apr. 27, 2004

    Joseph Wright

    Est: $1,500 - $2,500

    American, 1756-1793 PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN Indistinctly inscribed and dated on the stretcher Jos. Wright pinx/...Winfield f.../17... Oil on canvas Oval 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches

    Doyle New York
  • JOSEPH WRIGHT (1756-1793)Portrait of Benjamin Franklinoil on canvas31 5/8 x
    May. 28, 1992

    JOSEPH WRIGHT (1756-1793)Portrait of Benjamin Franklinoil on canvas31 5/8 x

    Est: $15,000 - $25,000

    25 1/8 in. (80.5 x 63.8 cm.)PROVENANCEEstate of Jesse Judson Claverack, New YorkRobert Fulton LudlowRobert LivingstonRELATED LITERATUREC. C. Sellers, Benjamin Franklin in Portraiture, New Haven, 1962, pp. 150-154; pp. 414-426Joseph Wright was originally trained under the distinguished Benjamin West and John Hoppner in London and he exhibited at the Royal Academy at the age of 24. From London he travelled to Paris in 1782, where he was commissioned by Richard Oswald to paint a portrait of benjamin Franklin. Oswald, the representative of the King of England to the peace negotiations in France at the end of the Revolutionary War, decided on Wright to paint a portrait of Franklin as a token of respect and good will.Franklin's popularity and position of authority made it a considerable honor to be chosen and Wright must have approached the project enthusiastically. Unfortunately, the subject was very reluctant to spend time sitting for the portrait. Charles Coleman Sellers writes "He encountered but one major difficulty. As usual, Franklin insisted in a friendly way that he wanted him to make a copy of the picture on the wall. Joseph had to make out as others had done, but he had at least a better opportunity to study his subject's face." (Sellers, p. 152).As a result, it seems probable that Wright, like other Franklin portraitists, based his portraits on the famous pastel, executed in 1778, by Joseph Siffred Duplessis. Wright added his own artistic stamp with changes in the color of the sitter's face bringing Duplessis' image, of four years earlier, into a more contemporary portrayal.The current example is one of seven known portraits of Franklin by Joseph Wright. One, commissioned by a Mr. Whitford, was lost in a shipwreck on the way to America. The other five versions are in the permanent collections of Yale University Art Gallery (Oswald's Version), the Boston Public Library, the Royal Society of London, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.In a letter dated April 17, 1971, Charles Coleman Sellers states that this portrait, like the others, was painted in France in 1782. A photocopy of this letter accompanies the lot.

    Christie's
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