The Time of Primroses

Artist Robert Herdman (Rattray, Perthshire, Scotland, 1829 - 1888)

Date1854

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 70.9 cm, Width: 60.8 cm
Frame: Height: 101 cm, Width: 93.3 cm

AcquisitionBequeathed in 1895 by James Walker.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG002740

Keywords

About MeRobert Herdman was born in Rattray, Perthshire in 1829. He was educated at St. Andrews University and was a pupil of Robert Scott Lauder in Edinburgh. Herdman travelled to Italy but returned to Edinburgh where he specialised in female portraits and genre scenes.

In this painting, which dates from 1854, one girl is adorning her younger playmate with the primroses. Both girls seem quite absorbed in their play and unaware of all around them. In the background a rugged Scottish landscape, with turbulent river to the left, recedes into the distance.The foreground is filled with flowers and lush vegetation. All is picked out in great detail, each leaf and petal painted with great delicacy and accuracy. The artist's attention to minute detail suggests the influence of the Pre Raphaelite Brotherhood, particularly Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896).

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Primroses bloom in early spring and represent youth and new beginnings. As women bring new life into the world the flower also symbolises feminine beauty and fertility.