plate no. 8462

Mrs. John Ashton

oil, canvasBaroqueportraitportraitfiguredresstablebookchair

recreation guide

Mrs. John Ashton (1769) by Joseph Wright of Derby is a portrait that exemplifies the artist’s mastery of tenebrism, an exaggerated form of chiaroscuro that emphasizes stark contrasts between light and dark (Source 4). Wright, often acclaimed as the first professional painter to express the spirit of the Industrial Revolution, frequently employed candlelit subjects to create dramatic illumination effects (Source 5). While specific visual details of this particular portrait are not described in the provided sources, Wright’s general practice involves using light to model form and create atmospheric depth, consistent with his famous works like A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery (Source 5). The painting likely utilizes a limited palette to enhance the dramatic lighting, relying on the optical mixing of glazes and scumbles to achieve luminosity rather than opaque mixing alone (Source 2).

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

5 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil of copavia	Medium for the first and second paintings, as cited by Sir Joshua Reynolds in the context of old master techniques relevant to this period	Linar oil or stand oil
Black pigment	For the initial monochrome underpainting (grisaille) and shadows	Ivory black or Mars black
Ultramarine	For the initial monochrome underpainting and cool shadows	Natural ultramarine or high-quality synthetic ultramarine
White pigment	For highlights and mixing in the grisaille stage	Titanium white or Lead white (historical)
Red and Yellow pigments	For glazing and scumbling to introduce warmth and flesh tones after the grisaille is dry	Vermilion, Cadmium Red, Yellow Ochre, or Cadmium Yellow
Varnish	Mixed with oil for later glazing stages to increase transparency and depth	Dammar varnish or synthetic resin varnish

preparation

surface prep

Prepare a canvas with a traditional oil ground. While the specific ground for Mrs. John Ashton is not detailed, Wright’s era typically used a warm-toned or neutral ground to facilitate the glazing techniques described in Source 2. Ensure the surface is smooth to allow for the fine finish characteristic of portrait painting (Source 7).

underdrawing

Use a thin wash of umber or charcoal to sketch the composition. Wright’s tenebrist style relies heavily on the accurate placement of light and shadow, so the underdrawing should focus on the major value masses rather than fine line work (Source 4).

underpainting

Create a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia (Source 2). This stage establishes the full range of values from deep shadow to bright highlight. The goal is to mentally extract red and yellow colors, translating what would remain in nature if those colors were absent (Source 2). This underpainting must be completely dry before proceeding.

color palette

Black

Ivory Black

Shadows and grisaille underpainting

Ultramarine

Ultramarine Blue

Cool shadows and grisaille underpainting

White

Lead White or Titanium White

Highlights and grisaille underpainting

Red

Vermilion or Red Lake

Glazing flesh tones and warm highlights

Yellow

Yellow Ochre or Cadmium Yellow

Glazing flesh tones and warm highlights

composition

Wright characteristically uses dramatic chiaroscuro to focus attention on the subject, often isolating them against a dark background (Source 4, Source 5). The composition likely employs strong contrasts to model the face and hands, with light falling selectively to reveal texture and form. Specific compositional elements of Mrs. John Ashton are not described in the sources, but the general approach aligns with Wright’s candlelit subjects where light serves as the primary compositional driver (Source 5).

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the figure and major light/shadow divisions using a thin wash. Focus on the placement of the light source, consistent with Wright’s tenebrist style.
Tip — Ensure the light source is consistent with Wright’s dramatic illumination habits.
Chiaroscuro

underpainting

step 02
Paint the grisaille using black, ultramarine, and white mixed with oil of copavia. Establish all values without using red or yellow.
Tip — Mentally extract red and yellow colors, focusing on the structural values.
Grisaille

first pass

step 03
Allow the grisaille to dry completely. Begin glazing and scumbling with red and yellow tones using oil and varnish mixtures.
Tip — Apply transparent coats of color, similar to tinting an engraving with watercolors.
Glazing and Scumbling

refining

step 04
Use scumbling (semi-opaque painting) over darker grounds to create coldness or grey blooms if needed. Adjust flesh tones by layering transparent reds and yellows.
Tip — Watch for the underlying painting showing through the semi-opaque layers.
Scumbling

finishing

step 05
Refine highlights and shadows. Use complementary color principles to enhance brilliance; for example, surround red tones with greenish shadows to make them appear redder.
Tip — Exaggerate color intensities to imitate natural phenomena, as nature has luminous intensities not available on the palette.
Complementary Color Juxtaposition

critical techniques

Tenebrism

Wright uses exaggerated chiaroscuro to emphasize contrast between light and dark, creating dramatic effects typical of his candlelit subjects.

Glazing and Scumbling

A transparent coat of color (glazing) and semi-opaque painting (scumbling) are used over a dry grisaille to introduce color and depth, a method practiced by old masters.

Complementary Color Juxtaposition

Placing complementary colors next to each other enhances their brilliance; e.g., red beside green appears redder.

common pitfalls

→Failing to let the grisaille dry completely before glazing, which can muddy the colors.
→Over-modeling or being too tied to the outline, which Wright’s dramatic lighting style seeks to avoid (Source 1).
→Using opaque mixing instead of glazing, which reduces the luminosity and depth characteristic of old master techniques (Source 2).
→Neglecting to exaggerate color intensities, as nature’s luminous intensities require artistic exaggeration to be convincingly imitated (Source 3).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific visual details of Mrs. John Ashton (e.g., clothing, pose, background) are not described in the sources.
·The exact pigments used by Wright in 1769 are not specified, though general period practices are inferred.
·The specific lighting setup for this portrait is not detailed, though Wright’s general use of candlelight is noted.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice of Oil Painting — ON COPYING↗
- ON COPYING — applied to General advice on avoiding over-modeling and smallness in finish
The Practice of Oil Painting — COLOURING A MONOCHROME↗
- COLOURING A MONOCHROME — applied to Grisaille underpainting and glazing/scumbling techniques
The Science of Painting — 4. When two colours separated by more than two others↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to Use of complementary colors to enhance brilliance

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia bio — Joseph Wright — part 1↗
- Joseph Wright — applied to Wright’s use of tenebrism and chiaroscuro
Wikipedia bio — Joseph Wright — part 3↗
- Joseph Wright — applied to Wright’s candlelit subjects and dramatic lighting

Read more about the corpus on the sources page and how the guides are built on the methods page.

tips & new artworks in your inbox

no spam — unsubscribe anytime.

or to save artworks, chat, and track progress

chat about this artwork

in this vein