Wright Gallery Fine Art

We are constantly sourcing and acquiring new items from Antiquity to the 20th Century.

Several hundred years of art and history can be experienced in one visit, either in person or via our website as we aim to make the gallery a destination for art lovers; a place where people are warmly welcomed and advice is freely given. As one of the few galleries in Australia dealing in such an expanse of periods, our passion spans many genres. Our aim is to provide a wide price point, enabling an opportunity for many art lovers to own and appreciate real visual history.
 
For people visiting the gallery to help with purchasing decisions we can place items in your home or workplace; to view pieces in context with other works you may already own. For interstate or international purchasers please send us photographs of your proposed setting and we will supply you with a composite photograph of the work in situ. Old and new do go together! As a secondary market gallery, we are not confined by artists’ consignments and as such are able to offer an expansive choice of works, for example, Old Master Drawings which are one of our passions and a daily ritual at Wright Gallery Fine Art is to scour auction sites worldwide for possible purchases.

Recently we found a drawing with its authorship listed as artist unknown. Intrigued, we requested more detailed photographs and further information but there was little else known about the drawing. But, we had a hunch that it could possibly be by Cristoforo Roncalli (Italian 1552-1626) a Mannerist artist who looked back to Raphael. We were fortunate enough to purchase the drawing, once it arrived in the gallery we thoroughly inspected the drawing and felt vindicated that there was a strong possibility that it was indeed by Roncalli. Further research began and we discovered that interestingly the drawing once had an attribution to Lambert Lombard (Flemish 1505-1566). Then it subsequently lost the attribution and gained the title “Allegory with female figure and putto”.

In our eyes, the drawing had all of Roncalli’s hallmarks. It was typical of his draughtsmanship, and use of both sanguine and black chalks. The laid paper sheet was also cut down as it was a section of a larger composition. Raphael’s works were then researched as this is where Roncalli often drew inspiration. We then discovered this to be a study of Raphael’s fresco titled “The Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche” which is at the Villa Farnesina in Rome. Interestingly the drawing has been later censored in pencil over the putto’s genitals, the culprit was most likely a 19th-century hand. Armed with our evidence and new information we approached Professor Herwarth Röttgen regarding his scholarly opinion on the drawing, of which he confirmed the attribution. This old master drawing has now found its true identity, Cristoforo Roncalli (Italian 1552-1626), its inspiration, Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (Italian 1483-1520) and its title Part Study for “The Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche” after Raphael.

This is an example of one of the many discoveries that we have made over the years, others being by Paul Edmund Graf (Swedish 1866-1903), Félicie Schneider (French 1831-1888), Giuseppe Cesari (Italian 1568-1640), Pier Francesco Mola (Swiss 1612-1666), Hendrick Avercamp (Flemish 1585-1636) to name a few.

Wright Gallery Fine Art is owned and operated by Peter and Christopher Wright. Peter has over 30 years of business experience as an illustrator and designer. He is a lifelong collector and dealer of paintings, period drawings and prints in Australia and the United Kingdom. Peter originally established Paintings Drawings Prints, a gallery that was later renamed Wright Gallery Fine Art.

Christopher holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National Art School, Sydney. He majored in painting and is a practising artist. Christopher has exhibited and sold in several Sydney galleries. His passion lies in art history and he brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to Wright Gallery Fine Art.

As members of both the Australian Antique And Art Dealers Association and CINOA which is the principal international confederation of art & antique market professionals. We work under strict ethical guidelines and principles. We offer both free local and worldwide shipping, making us a gallery that people can securely purchase from whether locally or internationally.