The Scougall Family, Scottish Portraiture of the Restoration Period

After the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, Scottish portraiture came to a rise, and one portrait painter in particular, David Scougall (c. 1630-1685), dominated the field. Particularly in the 1660s and 1670s he was very prolific, receiving many assignments, mainly from members of the Scottish nobility who were often prominent members of the new parliament. His son John Scougall (1657-1737) expanded the practice into a portrait studio in the 1680s, and explicitly called himself a limner throughout his life. He painted many portraits in the course of the following decades. Their work was influenced by fashionable London painters such as Sir Peter Lely (1618-1680)and later on Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646-1723), but it also has an individuality which makes their paintings unique and distinctive. The period of Scottish portrait painting between George Jamesone (c. 1587-1644) and Sir John de Medina (1659-1710) has long been neglected. With the Restoration the interest in portraiture increased dramatically. Many members of the nobility were either restored to or gained power and wanted to profess their wealth and status by being portrayed. This meant a new start for Scottish portraiture, which would grow to maturity in the next decades.

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This is a free event and lunch is provided.