Passage of Montrose's Army Through Glencoe (Legend of Montrose)

Artist Sir George Reid (Aberdeen, Scotland, 1841 - 1913)

Date1876

Mediumoil on canvas

ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings

DimensionsOverall: Height: 54.3 cm, Width: 77.6 cm
Frame: Height: 80.5 cm, Width: 103.8 cm

AcquisitionAlexander Macdonald Bequest, 1901.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationOn Loan

Object numberABDAG003965

Keywords

About MeIn 1644 – 45 James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, led a Royalist uprising against the Covenanter Government. Learning that his arch enemy the Marquis of Argyll was laying waste to Lochaber, Montrose audaciously led his army south through the snow covered mountains and destroyed Argyll’s army at Inverlochy.

The soldiers, with scavenging crows echoing their movement, trudge slowly into the distance, so that the viewer seems quite alone, left standing by the still, cheerless pond and tufts of frozen grass.

Although best known for his portraiture, Sir George Reid preferred landscape painting and with this remarkably atmospheric work his talent and artistic skills are displayed at their most magnificent.

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Daring and audacious, Montrose led his troops through hard winter conditions of 1644, as shown here, to achieve success in battle against the soldiers of the Earl of Argyll.