Images(7)

Robert Burns

Artist James Pittendrigh Macgillivray (Inverurie, Scotland, 1856 - 1938)

AssociatedAssociated with Robert Burns (Alloway, Scotland, 1759 - 1796)

Date1895

Mediumbronze

ClassificationsSculptures

DimensionsOverall: Height: 73 cm, Width: 19 cm, Depth: 21 cm
Plinth Size: Height: 76.1 cm, Width: 38 cm, Depth: 38.2 cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1929 with income from the Art Gallery Fund.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDAG004670

Keywords

Figure

About MeIn 1894, James Pittendrigh MacGillivray was commissioned to produce a full size monument to Robert Burns by the Town Council of Irvine. The commission would have been an exciting one for MacGillivray, not only due to its size but also because MacGillivray was also a poet who deeply admired Burns.
MacGillivray produced several pen and ink sketches of poses for the statue. The final pose is a dynamic, thoughtful representation of the poet who appears lost in deep thought. MacGillivray roughly models the statue and the marks of his tools are still clearly visible. It was eventually unveiled before a crowd of ten thousand by Poet Laureate Austin in 1896.
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Inverurie born Macgillvray made several smaller studies of Burns while working on the daisy-holding statue on Aberdeen's Union Terrace