Henry Raeburn (1756 - 1823) -attributed, Portrait Of A Noble Lady

The high quality painting was purchased by the last owner from the famous Christies auction house, London on 08/30/2006 as a hand-attributed work of Henry Raeburn (1756-1823). Our research into the style of painting also concluded that he painted in the time and style of the important Scottish Romantic portrait painter Henry Raeburn (1756 - 1823). For comparison see the paintings by Raeburns under the link:

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/raeburn_sir_henry.html

Sir Henry Raeburn (1756 - 1823) was a famous Scottish portrait painter. Despite his status, Raeburn's career is surprisingly poorly documented. He was born in Edinburgh in 1756, was orphaned, educated at Edinburgh's Heriot Hospital, and grew up under the general supervision of his older brother William. In 1772 he was apprenticed to James Gilliland, a goldsmith from Edinburgh; while still an apprentice, he began to paint miniatures, first in watercolors, then in oils. In 1780 he married Anne Leslie, widow of Earl Leslie, who was 12 years his senior and mother of 3 children. In 1782 he joined the class under the leadership of Alexander Runciman. In April 1784 he left Edinburgh for Italy, where he remained until 1887. It is not known how he spent his stay in Italy. On his return he settled in Edinburgh and soon achieved preeminence among Scottish artists. He was knighted by George IV in 1822 and appointed King's Limner for Scotland a few days before his death. His style was to some extent based on that of Reynolds, but his bold brushstroke and courageous use of contrasting colors make his works original. Among his role models were the writer Sir Walter Scott, the philosopher Hume, the songwriter and printer Boswell, the critic and essayist John Wilson and other notable men from Scotland.

Literature: Artist Lexicons by Thieme / Becker; by Bénézit; http://www.artcyclopedia.com.
Inscription: unsigned.
Technique: oil on canvas. Original period gold-plated frame.
Dimensions: unframed 70.3 x 91.3 cm, framed 78.5 x 101.3 cm.
Condition: very good, original canvas, no inpaintings or paintloses.