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Scissor Grinder in the Canongate, Edinburgh
Scissor Grinder in the Canongate, Edinburgh

Scissor Grinder in the Canongate, Edinburgh

Artist (Musselburgh, Scotland, 1784 - 1868)
Mediumwatercolour on paper
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 22.1 cm, Width: 17.2 cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 1954 with income from the Webster Bequest.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG007399
About MeBurnet apprenticed as an engraver and then trained at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh, under the tutelage of John Graham, who also taught Wilkie and Allan. In 1806 Burnet went to London where he became an established painter of portraits and landscapes and also produced a number of engravings, notably after Wilkie's paintings.

This early watercolour follows the style of David Allan's genre scenes in his volume 'A Collection of Dresses' and gives a vivid impression of life in Edinburgh's Old Town at the turn of the 19th century.
More About Me
Burnet was born in Edinburgh, but his career flourished in London as a painter of portraits, landscapes and genre scenes. He also illustrated editions of Burns and Scott