Flood in the Highlands
Artist
Sir Edwin Landseer
(London, England, 1802 - 1873)
Date1840s - 1860
Mediumoil on canvas
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 177.8 cm, Width: 312.7 cm
Frame: Height: 204 cm, Width: 340 cm, Depth: 17 cm
Frame: Height: 204 cm, Width: 340 cm, Depth: 17 cm
AcquisitionPresented in 1947 by Sir James Caird.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationOn Display - Gallery 09
Object numberABDAG002312
About MeSir Edwin Landseer was one of the most popular of romantic painters working in Britain during the first half of the nineteenth century. He took a cottage deep in the Highlands in Glenfeshie and when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert leased Balmoral as a royal residence, Landseer became a frequent visitor, instructing the young Queen in drawing and etching. Landseer's paintings told stories, bore moral messages, contained pathos and homely sentiment.This painting was inspired by a real incident, a sudden flash flood that devastated the valleys at the foot of the Cairngorms and Monadhliath mountains on 3-4 August 1829. Landseer has piled incident upon incident in a pyramidal arrangement in order to convey the mounting terror and confusion of the villagers as the water rises beneath them. The painting has been described as a Highland version of Noah's ark.
In April 1849 Queen Victoria recorded in her diary a visit to Landseer's London studio and described this painting of a Highland Flood. It was begun in the 1840s but was extensively reworked over the years and was not exhibited until 1860 .
Adopted by Molly Massie
To find out how to 'Adopt an Artwork' please email AAGMSupport-Us@aberdeencity.gov.uk
More About Me
This depicts a real event - a sudden flash flood that devastated the valleys at the foot of the Cairngorms and Monadhliath mountains on 3-4 August 1829.
Exhibitions
William Stewart Macgeorge
