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Description: | This collection consists of six portraits by Sir Henry Raeburn who was the leading Scottish portrait painter during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born March 4, 1756, in Stockbridge, then a village near Edinburgh. He was apprenticed, in 1772, to goldsmith James Gilliland. In 1784 he moved to London where he met the influential portrait painter Joshua Reynolds. He spent some time in Italy but returned to Edinburgh in 1787 where he began painting portraits of the wealthy and notable people of his day. Raeburn had a direct painting style which brought a personal and intimate quality to his work. He was knighted in 1822, when the King visited Edinburgh, and died a year later. The earliest portrait in the collection, from about 1790, is of Adam Ferguson and is a good example of Raeburn’s middle period. The portrait of William Robertson, principal of the University 1762-1793, is signed and dated 1792, and is reputed to be the only known signature of Raeburn. A portrait of Thomas Elder, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, was painted for the University in 1797. It shows an advance in development of the painter’s style, from the previous two, but is not as striking as the 1798 portrait of John Robison, professor of natural philosophy. This is an outstanding work which has been described as one of Raeburn’s finest portraits. It marks the end of his second manner and shows his style at its most expressive and audacious. The portrait of Professor John Playfair is a good deal later in date, from about 1814. It is in this portrait that Raeburn’s style is at its most fully developed. Rich in tone and displaying penetrating characterisation, it is painted with masterly assurance. The University purchased a portrait of Andrew Dalziel to add to this collection 1989. One further portrait of Professor John Hill, although not one of his best, can probably be attributed to Raeburn rather than a follower. The University also owns three copies of Raeburn portraits. Two are by Cumming “after Raeburn”. The third, which is not attributed, is a copy of Raeburn’s portrait of professor John Bruce, owned by the Scottish Portrait Gallery. | Subjects: | Scottish Art; Fine Art; Portraits; Scottish Artists; | Source: | University of Edinburgh | Address: | Old College, South Bridge,
EH8 9YL | Creator: | Miss Margaret Playfair; | Identifier: | http://hdl.handle.net/10683/306... | Go to resource |
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Portraits
The portrait collection was established…
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