Wright was taught in Edinburgh by the Scots painter George Jamesone. He became a famous artist and scholar during his long journey in Rome. There, he entered the Accademia di San Luca, and came to know some of the most important artists of his time. He was hired by Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, the governor of the Spanish Netherlands in 1655. His job was to find artworks in Oliver Cromwell's England in 1655. 