Colvin Smith RSA (1795 – 21 July 1875) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

portraitist.

Life

The grave of Colvin Smith, Brechin Cathedral

Smith was born at Brechin, in

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, the son of John Smith, a merchant, and his wife, Cecilia Gillies. He studied art in

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at the Royal Academy Schools and worked in Joseph Nollekens's studio. He then proceeded to work in Italy, where he executed some fine copies after

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, n ...

; and at Antwerp he made studies after the works of Rubens. Returning to Scotland in 1827, he settled in

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, occupying the house and studio which had formerly belonged to the Scottish painter Raeburn at 32 York Place. Soon he attained a wide practice as a portrait-painter, and among his sitters were Lord Jeffrey,

Henry Mackenzie Henry Mackenzie FRSE (August 1745 – 14 January 1831, born and died in Edinburgh) was a Scottish lawyer, novelist and writer sometimes seen as the Addison of the North. While remembered mostly as an author, his main income came from legal rol ...

, author of ''The Man of Feeling'', and many of the most celebrated Scotsmen of the time. In 1840 he was living at 32

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. The property was purpose-built as an artist's studio by its predecessor, Sir Henry Raeburn His portrait of

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 ...

was so popular that he executed some twenty replicas of it, for seven of which he received fresh sittings. His works are distinguished by excellent draftsmanship, by directness and simplicity of treatment, and by well-marked individuality. His portrait of Thomas Brown of Lanfine and Waterhaughs hangs in the Court Office of 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 , ...

. He died in Edinburgh on 21 July 1875. He is buried with his parents in the churchyard of Brechin Cathedral. The grave lies south of the round tower.

Influence

Smith's students included James Irvine, who went on to be one of Scotland's best portrait painters.L. H. Cust, ‘Irvine, James (1822–1889)’, rev. Jennifer Melville, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 10 Sept 2013
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Colvin 1795 births 1875 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters Scottish portrait painters People from Brechin 19th-century Scottish male artists