Attrib. John Massey Wright RWS (1777-1866) - Watercolour Troilus & Cressida

Description

A finely detailed and engaging mid 19th Century watercolour, confidently attributed to the English watercolourist, John Massey Wright. The painting shows a scene from Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida. The scene is executed with wonderful finesse and accomplished use of colour, as well as a confident nod to the art of Theatre, shown in the character's composition and the set like surroundings. The painting has been laid to a second piece of paper on which is inscribed in fine handwritten characters, the title of the painting ans a short excerpt from the play. The painting is unsigned and attractively presented in a simple black frame with gilt slip and card mount. On wove laid to paper. On paper laid to backing card.

Condition

The condition is typical for a picture of this age including some discolouration. There are marks and scuffs to the frame.

Size

16.5 x 18.2cm (6.5" x 7.2")
Framed Size: 33.6 x 32.4cm (13.2" x 12.8")

Artist Biography

John Masey Wright (1777-1866) was an English watercolour painter. He was the son of an organ-builder and was apprenticed to the same business, but, as it proved distasteful to him, he was allowed to follow his natural inclination for art. As a boy he was given the opportunity of watching Thomas Stothard when at work in his studio, but otherwise he was self-taught. About 1810 Wright became associated with Henry Aston Barker, for whose panorama in the Strand he did much excellent work, including the battles of Coruña, Vittoria, and Waterloo.
He was also employed for a time as a scene-painter at the opera-house. But his reputation rests upon his small compositions illustrating Shakespeare and other poets, which were extremely numerous and executed with admirable taste and feeling in the manner of Stothard. He exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1812 to 1818, and in 1824 was elected an associate of the Watercolour Society; he became a full member in 1825, and thenceforward to the end of his long life was a regular exhibitor. His drawings were largely engraved for the ‘Literary Souvenir,’ ‘Amulet,’ ‘Forget-me-not,’ and similar publications; also for fine editions of the works of Sir Walter Scott and Burns, and for the ‘Gallery of Modern British Artists.’ Plates from his Battle of Vitoria’ and ‘The Ghost, a Christmas Frolic,’ appeared in 1814, and ‘Devotion,’ a subject from Boccaccio, was engraved by Charles Heath in 1833. through extremely industrious, Wright was poorly remunerated for his work, and during his later years received a small pension from the Watercolour Society.