Robert Scott Lauder by John Hutchison, SNPG

Robert Scott Lauder in 17th century costume, by Robert Scott Lauder

Robert Scott Lauder's grave, Warriston Cemetery

Robert Scott Lauder (25 June 1803 – 21 April 1869) was a Scottish artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of 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 ...

Life and work

Lauder was born at

Silvermills Silvermills, once an ancient village, has been part of Edinburgh since 1809. The village is most likely to have taken its name from mills erected to smelt and refine silver ore which had been found at Hilderstone in Linlithgowshire in 1607 or, al ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, the third son of Helen Tait (d.1850) and John Lauder of Silvermills (d. 1838),

Burgess __NOTOC__ Burgess may refer to: People and fictional characters * Burgess (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Burgess (given name), a list of people Places * Burgess, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Burgess, Missouri, U ...

of Edinburgh and proprietor of the

tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

at Silvermills. After attending the Royal High School he went to London, where his eldest brother William was engaged in the family business. He returned to Edinburgh in about 1826 and was elected one of the original members of the

in 1830. At this point Lauder was living with his brother William Lauder at 24 Fettes Row in

Edinburgh's New Town 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 ...

. On 9 September 1833 at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh he married Isabella Ramsay Thomson and they then went abroad, accompanied by his younger artist-brother,

James Eckford Lauder James Eckford Lauder (15 August 1811 in Edinburgh – 27 March 1869 in Edinburgh) was a notable mid- Victorian Scottish artist, famous for both portraits and historical pictures. Life and work A younger brother of artist Robert Scott Laud ...

. Robert studied for some years in Rome,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

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and

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. Lauder returned to London in 1838 where he lived for several years, where his three children — Isabella, John, and Robert — were baptised at St. Thomas’s Church,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, in 1840, 1841, and 1844 respectively. Whilst in London he exhibited 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 ...

and competed in the Westminster Hall competition of 1847, sending his ''Christ walking on the Sea'', which was subsequently purchased by Lady

Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906), born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daughte ...

. He became the first president of the short-lived National Institution of Fine Arts and also exhibited there. He later removed back to Edinburgh in 1849 where both his sons —

Robert Scott Lauder Robert Scott Lauder (25 June 1803 – 21 April 1869) was a Scottish artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy. Life and work Lauder was born at Silvermills, E ...

(born 1844), who became a physician, and John Thomson Lauder (1841–1865) — attended the

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

's novels provided him with subjects for many of his most successful historical paintings. About 1860 he suffered a paralytic stroke and did not practice after 1861. He died at Edinburgh from a bout of bronchitis on 21 April 1869, still paralysed. He is buried in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

in Edinburgh, beneath a large pale sandstone stone with white Sicilian marble inset, carved by John Hutchison. It stands to the east side of the westmost path, just south of Horatio McCulloch's grave, but is hard to spot as the sculpture and main monument faces away from the path into the undergrowth. His name is however listed at the head of the reverse side (facing the path) above that of his younger brother,

who is buried with him.

Selected paintings

Key works: *''Scene from

The Bride of Lammermoor ''The Bride of Lammermoor'' is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1819, one of the Waverley novels. The novel is set in the Lammermuir Hills of south-east Scotland, shortly before the Act of Union of 1707 (in the first editio ...

'' (1839) *''The Trial of Effie Deans'' (1840) *''Meg Merrilies'' (1842) *'' Hannah presenting Samuel to Eli'' (1845) *''Christ Teaches Humility'' (1845) *''Mother and Child'' (1848) *''Sentinels'' *''

John Gibson Lockhart John Gibson Lockhart (12 June 1794 – 25 November 1854) was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the seminal, and much-admired, seven-volume biography of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott: ''Memoirs of the Life of Sir ...

'' (Portrait) *''

Reverend John Thomson Rev John Thomson FRSE Hon RSA (1 September 177828 October 1840) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland and noted amateur landscape painter. He was the minister of Duddingston Kirk from 1805 to 1840. Life The youngest of eight chil ...

of Duddingstone'' (Portrait) *''

William Simson William Simson (1798/9929 August 1847) was a Scottish portrait, landscape and subject painter. Biography Simson was born at Dundee in 1798/99. He studied under Andrew Wilson at the Trustees' Academy on Picardy Place in Edinburgh, and his early ...

, R.S.A.'' (Portrait) *'' Hagar & Ishmael'' (1840) Other pictures of note are: *''Italian Goatherds entertaining a brother of the Santissima Trinita'' (1843) *''Ruth "so she gleaned in the field until even"'' (1845) (see

Book of Ruth The Book of Ruth ( he, מגילת רות, ''Megilath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot) is included in the third division, or the Writings (Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the ...

) *''The Gow Chrom Reluctantly Conducting the Glee Maiden to a Place of Safety'' (1846) *''Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery'' Other portraits of note are: *'' Sir Archibald Alison'', Bt. *'' Thomas Duncan'' *'' John Henning Sr.'' *''Elizabeth Lauder, Mrs. William Paterson, with her daughter Janet'' *''Henry Lauder'' (the artist's brother) painted . *'' Sir Thomas Dick Lauder'' *''Robert Scott Lauder'' (self) *''

, with Charlotte Scott'' *''

David Roberts David or Dave Roberts may refer to: Arts and literature * David Roberts (painter) (1796–1864), Scottish painter * David Roberts (art collector), Scottish contemporary art collector * David Roberts (novelist), English editor and mystery writer ...

'' (1840) *''David Scott'' *''

Sir John Steell Sir John Robert Steell (Aberdeen 18 September 1804 – 15 September 1891) was a Scottish sculptor. He modelled many of the leading figures of Scottish history and culture, and is best known for a number of sculptures displayed in Edinburgh, ...

'' *''

Thomas Thomson Thomas Thomson may refer to: * Tom Thomson (1877–1917), Canadian painter * Thomas Thomson (apothecary) (died 1572), Scottish apothecary * Thomas Thomson (advocate) (1768–1852), Scottish lawyer * Thomas Thomson (botanist) (1817–1878), Scottis ...

Family

In 1833 he married Isabella Thomson (1809-1869) daughter of Rev

John Thomson of Duddingston Rev John Thomson FRSE Hon RSA (1 September 177828 October 1840) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland and noted amateur landscape painter. He was the minister of Duddingston Kirk from 1805 to 1840. Life The youngest of eight chi ...

.Fasti Ecclesiastae Scoticana by Hew Scott

References

Notes

* ''Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers'', edited by George C. Williamson, London 1927, (5 volumes). * ''The Edinburgh Academy Register'', Edinburgh, 1914. * Testaments of John Lauder of Silvermills & Helen Tait, in the

National Archives of Scotland The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe ...

. *

External links

*
Works in the National Galleries of Scotland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauder, Robert Scott 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters Scottish portrait painters Artists from Edinburgh People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art 1803 births 1869 deaths Royal Scottish Academicians Burials at Warriston Cemetery 19th-century Scottish male artists