Sir Henry Raeburn was an Edinburgh portrait painter who began as a goldsmith’s apprentice and miniaturist, visited Rome, and returned to become the leading portraitist in Scotland. He painted lawyers, landowners, Highland chiefs and the leaders of the Scottish Enlightenment, including Walter Scott, with bold, square brushwork and strong lighting, painting straight onto the canvas without drawing first. He was knighted by George IV in 1822 and made His Majesty’s Limner for Scotland. The Scottish National Gallery holds The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery has many of his portraits.
© Henry RaeburnPublic Domain Mark Henry Raeburn
Scottish portrait painter; The Skating Minister
- Born
- 4 March 1756, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
- Died
- 8 July 1823, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Always on show
- Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
Portraits, among them Colonel Macdonell of Glengarry
- Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
The Skating Minister, Niel Gow and other portraits
- The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
Four portraits
Further reading: Wikipedia