John Michael Wright was one of the star portraitists of English high society in the 17th century. Charles II, Thomas Hobbes and other prominent personalities of his time sat for him. His paintings are characterized by a restrained, elegant realism. With a fine sense of color, Wright staged his models extremely clearly and confidently. As a representative of the Baroque period, his paintings also feature lush drapery and references to classical themes. Wright managed, however, to maintain a certain naturalness and authenticity to his motifs, which give his paintings a magical depth.
Wright's exact origin is not exactly documented, he described himself sometimes as a Scot and sometimes as an Englishman. The signatures of his works and his travel documents also reflect this. As a "Pictor Scotus" and at the same time a "Pictor Anglus", he was regarded as an exceptionally cosmopolitan contemporary, which earned him great sympathy in the circles of high society. In fact, he spent a lot of time in different places of Europe. Already as a boy he moved to Scotland for unexplained reasons. There he studied under the already highly respected Scottish painter George Jameson. He then moved to Rome, where in just 10 years he established a reputation as a remarkable artist and connoisseur of art. He was given the honor of membership in the Academia di San Luca and socialized with some of the leading artists of his time. These relationships enabled him to amass an art collection. Among them were works by Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian.
After his time in Rome, Wright traveled to Brussels, where Leopold Wilhelm, Archduke of Austria and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, took notice of the personable man and his abilities. The Archduke hired Wright as an expert for his antiquities collection. He was to purchase works of art in England on his behalf and add to his considerable collection. However, political developments did not allow this employment to last long. Wright, who now lived permanently in London, managed to be hired as a court painter despite his religious denomination. That he, as a Roman Catholic Christian, was allowed to paint a portrait of Elizabeth Claypole, the daughter of the Protestant Oliver Cromwell, was not a matter of course at that time. The servant Nathaniel Waterhouse even condemned this circumstance as the result of Wright's "deliberate and shameless ass-kissing."
After the Restoration and the reinstatement of the Stuarts, Wright had better cards regarding his denomination. He portrayed the king in full robes, posing on the throne with the royal regalia. But Charles II, apparently a lover of the pompous, preferred Wright's colleague, Peter Lely. Although the king granted Wright the right to add the title "Pictor Regis" to his works, he awarded the coveted office of royal court painter to Lely. The Dane's style of painting was more ostentatious, smoother, and sweeter than Wright's. In this way, he met the taste of the times. In this way, he met the taste of the times. Wright's painterly qualities, however, are by no means inferior to Lely's. Today, because of his characteristic realism, he is considered one of the pioneering British painters of his time.
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.jpg "Portrait of King James II and VII in armour as Duke of York (1633-1701) by John Michael Wright")
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 1668 - (MeisterDrucke-14156).jpg "Lord Mungo Murray (Am Morair Mungo Moireach), 1668 by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Lady Mary Bagot and Her Granddaughter Mary by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "A Highland Chieftain: Portrait of Lord Mungo Murray by John Michael Wright")
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_-_painting_by_John_Mich_-_(MeisterDrucke-949409).jpg "Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, English Philosopher. Painting by John Michael Wright. London National Portrait Gallery by John Michael Wright")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-228453).jpg "Portrait of Grace Wilbraham by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "A Lady in Masquerade Costume by John Michael Wright")
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 c1660-65 - (MeisterDrucke-113687).jpg "Portrait of Charles II by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Portrait of Charles II of England by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Portrait of Sir John Chardin, French Traveller and Merchant by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Mary Bagot, Countess of Dorset, c.1670 by John Michael Wright")
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_1668_-_(MeisterDrucke-564212).jpg "General George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir Robert Rookwood, 1660 by John Michael Wright")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-903345).jpg "Portrait of Magdalen Aston by John Michael Wright")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-634647).jpg "Astraea Returns to Earth (The Apotheosis of Charles II) by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir Matthew Hale, Kt, Chief Justice of the King")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-298778).jpg "Portrait of Mary Wilbraham (1661-1737) by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Portrait of Charles II in Garter Robes by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir John Robinson, Lord Mayor 1662 by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir John Corbet of Adderley by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Unknown Image by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Mary, Duchess of Buckingham by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Lord Mungo Murray, 1668 - 1700, Son of 1st Marquess of Atholl by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Charles II by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Catherine Dormer, Daughter of Montagu Bertie, 2nd Earl of Lindsey, by John Michael Wright by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Mary Villiers and Her Children by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Portrait of a lady thought to be Elizabeth Claypole by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Portrait of Thomas Hobbes, 1669-70 by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Barbara Palmer, Duchess of Cleveland by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir John Corbet of Adderley by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "King Charles II by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Charles II of England in Coronation Robes by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir John Corbet of Adderley by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir Matthew Hale, Kt by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Magdalen Aston, Lady Burdett by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Elizabeth Claypole, née Cromwell by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Unknown Image by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir Edward Turnour by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Charles II by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk by John Michael Wright")
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.jpg "Sir Robert Rookwood by John Michael Wright")
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