Sir Joseph Noel Paton (13 December 1821 – 26 December 1901) was a Scottish artist, illustrator and sculptor. He was also a poet and had an interest in, and knowledge of, Scottish

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

and Celtic legends.

Early life

Joseph Noel Paton by Amelia Robertson Hill, SNPG

Sir Joseph Noel Paton - 'Home' - The Return from the Crimea - WGA17119

He was born in Wooer's Alley,

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

, on 13 December 1821 to Joseph Neil Paton and Catherine MacDiarmid,

damask Damask (; ar, دمشق) is a reversible patterned fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin ...

designers and weavers in the town. He was the brother of the sculptor Amelia Robertson Hill, and the landscape artist

Waller Hugh Paton Waller Hugh Paton RSA RSW (27 July 1828 – 8 March 1895) was a Scottish landscape artist in the second half of the 19th century. Early life Paton was born in Wooer's Alley, Dunfermline, the son of Joseph Neil Paton (1797-1874), a damask de ...

. He also had one brother, Archibald, and two sisters, Catherine and Alexia, who died in childhood. Later in his life, Paton erected a monument on the grave site of his parents and siblings. Their graves were probably originally unmarked; the monument lies on the north side of

Dunfermline Abbey Dunfermline Abbey is a Church of Scotland Parish Church in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. The church occupies the site of the ancient chancel and transepts of a large medieval Benedictine abbey, which was sacked in 1560 during the Scottish Reforma ...

and—amongst nearby smaller, sandstone markers—is a distinctive red granite

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

. Paton attended Dunfermline School and then Dunfermline Art Academy, further enhancing the talents he had developed as a child. He followed the family trade by working as the design department director in a

muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured. Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...

factory for three years. Most of his life was spent in Scotland but he studied briefly at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1843, where he was tutored by

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

. While studying in London Paton met

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest ...

, who asked him to join the

Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

Career

The grave of Joseph Noel Paton, Dean Cemetery

The invitation to be an official member of the Brotherhood was turned down by Paton although he painted in the Pre-Raphaelite style and became a painter of historical, fairy, allegorical and religious subjects. Together with

Daniel Maclise Daniel Maclise (25 January 180625 April 1870) was an Irish history painter, literary and portrait painter, and illustrator, who worked for most of his life in London, England. Early life Maclise was born in Cork, Ireland, the son of Alexan ...

, Paton was a

expert; according to Christopher Wood, an expert in Victorian art, Maclise and Paton were the only artists working in the genre of fairy paintings with expertise in folklore. Paton's knowledge of Celtic legends and Scottish folklore is reflected in his paintings. During his short spell in London, Paton became acquainted with

Samuel Carter Hall Samuel Carter Hall (9 May 1800 – 11 March 1889) was an Irish-born Victorian journalist who is best known for his editorship of ''The Art Journal'' and for his much-satirised personality. Early years Hall was born at the Geneva Barracks in Wat ...

, editor of

The Art Journal ''The Art Journal'' was the most important British 19th-century magazine on art. It was founded in 1839 by Hodgson & Graves, print publishers, 6 Pall Mall, with the title ''Art Union Monthly Journal'' (or ''The Art Union''), the first issue of 7 ...

, and he commissioned Paton to design some of the illustrations for his 1842 book ''The Book of British Ballads''. Other commissions to design book illustrations included the 1844 edition of Shelley's lyrical drama '' Prometheus Unbound'', an 1845 publication of

Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

''The Tempest'' and an 1863 version of Coleridge's poem ''

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' (originally ''The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere'') is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–1798 and published in 1798 in the first edition of ''Lyrical Ballad ...

''. In 1844 Paton's first painting, ''Ruth Gleaning'', was exhibited at the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

. He won a number of prizes for his work including for two of his most famous works '' The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania'' and ''The Reconciliation of Oberon and Titania'' (1847 – Westminster Hall), both of which are available to public view at the

National Gallery of Scotland The Scottish National Gallery (formerly the National Gallery of Scotland) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by W ...

. An earlier study of the ''Quarrel'' painting was completed in 1846 and featured as Paton's diploma picture at the Royal Scottish Academy that year. The Academy purchased the earlier work for £700. Paton became an associate of the

in 1847 and was made a Fellow in 1850. In 1865, he was appointed Queen's Limner for Scotland. He also published two volumes of poetry and produced a number of sculptures. Two years later he received a knighthood, and in 1878 was conferred the degree LLD by the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. In 1860 he was living at 37 Drummond Place in the

New Town, Edinburgh The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...

. Paton was a well known

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

, whose specialty was arms and armour. In 1859 he raised and commanded the 1st Edinburgh (City) Artillery Volunteer Corps, composed mainly of artists with the painter

John Faed John Faed, R.S.A. (31 August 1819 – 22 October 1902) was a Scottish painter. Life John was the eldest son of the six children of James Faed, tenant of Barlay Mill, Galloway, and Mary Faed, ''née'' McGeoch. Two other sons, Thomas, and Ja ...

as his lieutenant. In 1875 Paton was one of the founding members of the

Cockburn Association The Cockburn Association (Edinburgh's Civic Trust) is one of the world's oldest architectural conservation and urban planning monitoring organisations, founded in 1875. The Scottish judge Henry Cockburn (1779–1854) was a prominent campaigner t ...

, the influential Edinburgh conservationist organisation, serving on its ruling council until 1885 when he became the campaigning group's vice-president, a position he retained until his death 16 years later. He died in Edinburgh at his home 33 George SquareEdinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1900–01 on 26 December 1901, and is buried in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and on ...

(in the obscured lower terrace to the south).

Family

In 1858, he married Margaret Gourlay Ferrier and the couple had 11 children (four daughters and seven sons). Their eldest son,

Diarmid Noel Paton Diarmid Noël Paton, (19 March 1859 – 30 September 1928), known as Noël Paton, was a Scottish physician and academic. From 1906 to 1928, he was the Regius Professor of Physiology at the University of Glasgow. Personal life and education P ...

(1859–1928), became a Regius Professor of physiology at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

during 1906. Their second son. Frederick W.F. Noel Paton (1861–1914), was Director General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics for India and was a noted illustrator. Another son, Ranald Alexander Noel Paton (born 8 June 1864), also a portrait painter, who married Winifred Jane Wallace. His daughter, Hamilton Lora Paton (1868–1921), is buried to his east with her husband, Robert Scott Moncrieff (1862–1923). Hamilton and Robert's daughter Madeline Scott Moncrieff married James Gordon McIntyre, Lord Sorn.

Works

Sir Joseph Noel Paton - The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania - Google Art Project 2

Joseph Noel Paton - The Reconciliation of Titania and Oberon

* ''Cymocles Discovered by Atis in the Bowre Of Blisse, Spencer's Fairie Queene, Book II, Chapter V'' (1848) : (Type: Pen, ink and wash; Size: 8 × 12 inches (21 × 30.5 cm); Location: Public collection) * ''Calvary'' (1849) : (Type: Pencil on paper; Size: 4 × 6 inches (10.5 × 16.8 cm); Location: Private collection) * ''Sermon on the Mount'' (1849) : (Type: Pencil on paper; Size: 4 × 6 inches (10.5 × 16.8 cm); Location: Private collection) * ''The Pursuit of Pleasure'' (1855) * ''The Bluidie Tryst'' (1855) : (Type: Oil on Canvas; Size: 28 × 25 inches (73 × 65 cm); Location: Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland) * ''Home'' (c. 1855–56) : (Type: Oil on Panel Location: Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA) * ''Hesperus'' (1857) : (Type: Oil on canvas; Size: 35 × 27 inches (91 × 69 cm); Location: Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, Scotland) * ''In Memoriam'' (1858) : (Type: Oil on panel; Size: 48 × 37 inches (123 × 96.5 cm); Location: Private collection) * ''By a Painter'' (1861) Poem * ''Mors Janua Vitae'' (1866) * ''Spindrift'' (1867) Poem * ''The Fairy Raid: Carrying Off a Changeling – Midsummer Eve'', 1867 * ''Oskold and the Ell-maids'' (1874) * ''The Man with the Muck-Rake'' (1875–9) : (Location: Ferens Art Gallery, Hull City Museums collection, also a study for the same work (1872)) * ''In Die Malo'' (1882) * ''How an Angel Rowed Sir Galahad Across the Dern Mere'' (1888) : (Type: Oil on canvas; Location: Private collection) * ''Oberon and the Mermaid'' (1888) : (Type: Oil on canvas; Location: Private collection) * ''The Spirit of Religion'' (cartoon) at

Dunfermline City Chambers Dunfermline City Chambers is a municipal facility at the corner of Bridge Street and Kirkgate in Dunfermline, Fife. The building, which serves as home to the local area committee of Fife Council, is a Category A listed building. History The b ...

* ''Sir Galahad'' : (Type: Oil on canvas; Location: Private collection) * ''Warriors'' : (Type: Oil on canvas; Size: 23 × 27 inches (58.5 × 71 cm); Location: Private collection)

Gallery

File:Joseph Noel Paton - Puck and Fairies, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Puck and Fairies'' File:The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania (detail).jpg, ''The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania'' (detail) File:Joseph Noel Paton Oberon and the Mermaid JKAM.jpg, ''Oberon and the Mermaid'' File:Joseph Noel Paton Hesperus detail.jpg, ''Hesperus'' (detail) File:Luther at Erfurt - Justification by Faith.jpg, ''Luther Discovering Justification by Faith'' File:Joseph Noel Paton The Bluidie Tryst.jpg, ''The Bluidie Tryst''

References

Citations

General bibliography

* * *

External links

Joseph Noel Paton
at the

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paton, Joseph Noel 1821 births 1901 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters Fantasy artists Knights Bachelor People from Dunfermline Royal Scottish Academicians Scottish male painters 19th-century Scottish male artists