Archibald Farquharson of Finzean

AttributedAttributed to Sir Henry Raeburn (Edinburgh, Scotland, 1756 - 1823)

Datec.1814

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 75.5 cm, Width: 62.7 cm
Frame: Height: 101 cm, Width: 89 cm

AcquisitionPresented in 1934 by Joseph Farquharson.

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG003094

Keywords

About MeArchibald Farquharson (1793-1841) was the 8th Laird of Finzean, a large estate near Aberdeen. Known locally as 'the wild Laird of Finzean', he has been described as "a rackety kind of person, who…lived fast with fast people, went bankrupt and died practically of drink".

At the age of twenty-one, Farquharson took control of his estate and also married; Raeburn's delightful portrait of his young wife, Miss Frances Russell of Blackhall, which forms the pair to this painting, is now in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

As in all of Raeburn's portraits, the sitter appears natural and unaffected. His firm brow, strong nose and heavy jowl bespeak a determined man, but Raeburn reveals his sympathy for the sitter in the sensitive handling of the mouth and the eyes.