Page 32 - Joseph Wright - Virgils Tomb and the grand tour of Naples

mottos: Stet Fortuna Domus and Nil Nisi Optimum.The latter motto was drummed into us in a memorable sermon that
to this day I still have glued into my school bible exhorting the maintenance of ‘high standards in life’ in contrast to
the current lamentable cult of ‘me foremost’.24 Taken together these three precepts are admirable for life but are
goals that however hard I have striven for, I have never managed to fully meet.

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I am grateful to Helen Langdon for introducing me to Jenny Uglow, author and noted authority on the eighteenth
century. Jenny has bestowed a great favour upon this gallery in finding time from her busy professional life as
Editorial Director of Chatto & Windus to write the outstandingly interesting essay for this catalogue Measureless
Caverns: Joseph Wright and Virgil’s Tomb which had this writer quite entranced. Equally, I must thank Barton (Bart)
Thurber, Curator of European Art at the Hood Museum for the second essay ‘The Amazing and Stupendous Remains of
Antiquity’: Joseph Wright in Italy and Later Reflections onVirgil’sTomb and for sharing his knowledge of the GrandTour at
short notice and at a time of family problems. I ask his forgiveness for repeatedly waiving the ‘starting gun’ in an
attempt to keep to a tight publication schedule. Bart is preparing an exhibition scheduled for 2015 entitled Rome and
the Grand Tour in the Mid-Eighteenth Century. I take this opportunity of thanking Karin Kyburz at The Witt Library for
assistance with comparative image sourcing; to Rosie Jarvie at Christie’s; to Emmeline Hallmark and Alex Bell of
Sotheby’s; to Xavier Bray at Dulwich Picture Gallery; to Diana Peake at Derby Museum & Art Gallery; to Hugo
Chapman and the staff of The British Museum Print Room; to Jennifer Camilleri at The Royal Academy; to Carmen
Vendellin at La Salle University Art Gallery; to Mary Zuber atThe Metropolitan Museum; to David Chesterman and
his sons for a sensitive cleaning of theWright; to RolloWhately; to Matthew Hollow; to Prudence Cuming Associates;
to Felicity Ackroyd; to Jennifer Jackson; to Giacomo Algranti; to Freddy Godshaw and Peter Zander who led me to
the publication and research of Nina Senger to whom I express my gratitude for documentary information about my
father; to Angelo Moranelli and Carlo Nepote; to all at Fotomec and Tipostampa.

PATRICK MATTHIESEN

24. I quote here some extracts from this address by MajorThomas Reynolds who was Field MarshallViscount Bernard Montgomery’s former batman and
the Head Master (Montgomery came each year to address and exhort the boys as if we were part of his Eighth Army). In distant July 1953 Reynolds
said “There must be a standard in everything.A worthwhile standard, a standard which, while it can be reached, needs effort and determination to reach it. Otherwise
a standard is meaningless.
Everyone must have his standard.
Every institution must have its standard
Every business must have its standard.
Every nation must have its standard.
….We here must aim high, and you must see and understand what we are aiming at and why.
….Will you understand your duty to set an example and not think too much about what you think are your ‘rights’?”

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