In the Scottish Style

Tonight, we will be celebrating Burns Night with a haggis supper, an occasion much enjoyed by Mr ITES who hails from across the border. In honour of this important date, we are sharing a few of our favourite paintings by celebrated Scottish portrait painter, Henry Raeburn.

Born in 1756, Sir Henry started off as an apprentice to the goldsmith, James Gilliland of Edinburgh, before taking an interest in oil painting. He was self-taught, and Gilliland, keen to encourage this talent, introduced Raeburn to David Martin (the favourite assistant of Allan Ramsay). He started painting his clients in his early twenties and even went on a tour of Italy, with letters of introduction from Joshua Reynolds. By 1812, Henry had been elected president of the Society of Artists in Edinburgh, and in 1822 he received a knighthood from King George IV of Scotland. He served as the King’s Portrait Painter in Scotland until his death in 1823. 🎨 Margaritta MacDonald, Robert Stewart & Elizabeth Balfour (Montacute House), Justine Camilla Wynne, John Stuart Hepburn Forbes