Robert Adam

Artist Sir Henry Raeburn (Edinburgh, Scotland, 1756 - 1823)

Date1800 - 1823

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 126.5 cm, Width: 100.5 cm
Frame: Height: 147.2 cm, Width: 125 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1967 with assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions and the National Art Collections Fund (Ramsay-Dyce Bequest) and with income from the Lyon Bequest, Murray Fund and Jaffrey Fund.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG003106

Keywords

About MeIn the first two decades of the 19th century, Henry Raeburn was the premier portrait painter in Scotland, esteemed for the penetrating and lively depictions of his sitters.

The life history of this sitter (previously thought to be Robert Adam, the famous Edinburgh architect) remains obscure, although he is clearly a scholarly gentleman and he gestures towards some papers that he is writing. In-keeping with the intellectual thought of the period, he is shown with a copy of the economist Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations'.