Henry Raeburn
Henry Raeburn
Henry Raeburn (4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter.
He was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, a former village now within the city of Edinburgh. Orphaned, he was supported by his older brother and placed in Heriot’s Hospital, where he received an education. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to a goldsmith, and various pieces of jewellery, mourning rings and the like, adorned with minute drawings on ivory by his hand, still exist. Soon he took to the production of carefully finished portrait miniatures, meeting with success and patronage, he extended his practice to oil painting, at which he was self-taught.
In his early twenties, he was asked to paint the portrait of a young lady whom he had previously observed and admired when he was sketching from nature in the fields. She was the daughter of Peter Edgar of Bridgelands, and widow of Count Leslie. Fascinated by the handsome and intellectual young artist, she became his wife within a month, bringing him an ample fortune. The acquisition of wealth did not affect his enthusiasm or his industry, but spurred him on to acquire a thorough knowledge of his craft. It was usual for artists to visit Italy, and Raeburn set off with his wife. In London he was kindly received by Sir Joshua Reynolds, who advised him on what to study in Rome, especially recommending the works of Michelangelo.
Raeburn was unusual amongst many of his contemporaries, such as Reynolds, in the extent of his philosophy of painting everything directly from life. This attitude partly explains the often coarse modelling and clashing colour combinations he employed, in contrast to the more refined style of Thomas Gainsborough and Reynolds. However these qualities and those mentioned above anticipate many of the later developments in painting of the nineteenth century from romanticism to Impressionism.
Sir Henry Raeburn died in St Bernard’s House, Stockbridge, Edinburgh. His memorial is in the Church of St John the Evangelist, Edinburgh.
Portrait of the reverend Robert Walker skating, 1784
Oil on canvas,
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK ▼
Portrait of Janet Dundas, 1790
Oil on canvas,
Private collection ▼
Portrait of David Anderson, 1790
Oil on canvas,
The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA ▼
Portrait of Sir John and Lady Clerk of Penicuik, 1792
Oil on canvas,
The Beit Collection, Russborough Co. Wicklow, UK ▼
Portrait of Neil Gow, 1793
Oil on canvas,
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK ▼
Portrait of Miss Eleanor Urquhart, 1793
Oil on canvas,
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA ▼
Sir John Sinclair, 1795
Oil on canvas,
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK ▼
Portrait of Thomas Reid, 1796
Oil on canvas,
National Trust for Scotland
Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, UK ▼
Portrait of Isabella McLeod, Mrs. James Gregory, 1798
Oil on canvas,
National Trust for Scotland, Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire, UK ▼
Portrait of colonel Francis James Scott, 1800
Oil on canvas,
The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA ▼
Portrait of John Johnstone of Alva, his sister, and his niece, 1805
Oil on canvas,
The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA ▼
Portrait of Lord Newton, 1806
Oil on canvas,
The Earl of Rosebery, UK ▼
Portrait of Mrs. Anne Hart, 1810
Oil on canvas,
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemaldegalerie, Berlin, Germany ▼
Portrait of Colonel Alasdair Mcdonnell of Glengarry, 1812
Oil on canvas,
National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK ▼
Portrait of captain Hay of Spott
Oil on canvas,
The Louvre, Paris, France ▼
A little girl carrying flowers
Oil on canvas,
The Louvre, Paris, France ▼
Portrait of Mrs. Kenneth Murchison
Oil on canvas,
Szépmüvèszeti Muzeum, Budapest, Hungary ▼
