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Santa Croce, near Bordighera, looking North
Santa Croce, near Bordighera, looking North

Santa Croce, near Bordighera, looking North

Artist (Cheshire, England, 1814 - 1909)
Date1871
Mediumwatercolour on paper
ClassificationsPaintings And Drawings
DimensionsOverall: Height: 26.7 cm, Width: 56.7 cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 1989.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG008393
About MeLady Dunbar (1814-1909) was born in Cheshire as Sophia Orred. In 1840, upon her marriage to Sir Archibald Dunbar, she came to live in Elgin on the Moray coast. At this time she received private tuition from a number of drawing masters, including John Le Capelain of Jersey, but it was after the birth of her youngest child in 1859 that her 'career' as a painter began. Her first exhibited works appeared at the Society of Female Artists in 1863 and the Royal Scottish Academy in 1867. Henceforth the subjects of her paintings alternated between landscape views from abroad (the Dunbars were intrepid tourists, travelling as far afield as Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Algeria) and rural scenes observed closer to home in Morayshire and Aberdeenshire. When she exhibited for the last time at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1888 she had shown 42 paintings in total, a number which distinguishes her as a leading nineteenth-century lady watercolourist.


This is the latest work by Lady Dunbar held in the collection. It shows a panoramic view of the mountains to the north of Santa Croce captured in a format three times the width of its height, by now an established habit of the artist (c.f. ABDAG008396 'Cornfield with Stormy Sky'). The palette is subtle - a blend of heathery purples, golden greens and Prussian blues - and the composition mobile, the eye of the viewer encouraged to follow the left-to-right flow of the river as it carves a path between the mountainous peaks. The Dunbars were amongst the first pleasure travellers to take advantage of the newly extended continental railways, making frequent trips to the south of France and Spain during the inclement Scottish winters. Spain had long held an appeal as subject matter for British painters; indeed, Lady Dunbar was familiar with the Spanish work of Samuel Prout, Sir David Wilkie and the Aberdeen painter John Phillip, the latter of whom she met whilst in Seville. Lady Dunbar published a book of her own travels, entitled 'A Family Tour round the Coasts of Spain and Portugal'.
More About Me
Born in Cheshire, the artist moved to Elgin on her marriage. The couple were intrepid travellers and Dunbar became one of the leading female watercoulouristsof the 19th century