Robert Burns Portrait
I took a trip to the National Gallery in Edinburgh to see what is described as the lost portrait of Robert Burns. As a fan of his work this was quite an occasion. I was fortunate to be able to find a space to see the painting as the lunchtime queue for the Turner exhibition that was finishing at the end of the week was already stretching down towards the entrance. This meant having to politely negotiate the queue and work my way through until I could find space to view the painting, and take a few photographs.
Artist Sir Henry Raeburn, was commissioned in 1803, to produce a new image of Burns, who had died in 1796. Burns had previously sat for Alexander Nasmyth in 1787, and that painting is the one that has become the image we have of Burns to this day. The fee for the Raeburn painting was twenty guineas and publishers Cadell and Davies apparently planned to use this new portrait as an engraving in new editions of Burns’ work. The painting was delivered the following year, but for whatever reason it wasn’t used and then vanished for over 200 years. Dr Bill Zachs, a Burns expert, discovered the painting at an auction house in London as part of a house clearance and took a chance on it as apparently there are several copies of this classic image. It has since been verified as the ‘lost’ painting by Raeburn and to see it hanging alongside the Nasmyth portrait, which already belongs to the National Galleries, was a real thrill. There are differences in size and palette, the Raeburn being the larger of the two.
Dr Bill Zachs has kindly lent the painting to the National Galleries of Scotland where the public can view it for free. In July 2026, it will then be taken to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayr. This is on my list of places to visit this year. I have a National Trust for Scotland membership, which allows me free access. I’m looking forward to it.
The Fiction Factory 