This portrait of James Hutton (1726–1797) depicts the subject seated in a wooded chair with his fingers interlaced and his right leg crossed over his left. He is dressed in brown breeches, a brown jacket and an unbuttoned waistcoat. Beside Hutton there is a desk draped with a green tablecloth upon which there are papers and a quill. An assortment of fossils, shells and books are visible on the table surface. The background is mostly dark with some light cast on the wall behind the sitter’s head and shoulders.
This oil on canvas of Hutton has been painted on ‘Z’ twill weave canvas, a material frequenting used by Sir Henry Raeburn. Raeburn would have noted the use of twill, a canvas woven with distinctive diagonal ridges, by the Old Masters while visiting Rome. As art historian John Dick suggests, the artist may have used it for the decorative quality of the weave of the canvas showing through the paint (Dick 1997, p.42). This feature is discernible in numerous works by Raeburn, including in his portrait of Neil Gow, also in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery collection. Raeburn almost certainly obtained his pigments from commercial suppliers, as materials in the nineteenth century were increasingly mass-produced, though he may have specified certain characteristics and paid for them accordingly (Dick 1997, p. 43).
As is the case with many works by this artist, the date is difficult to establish. Art historian Duncan Thomson observes the awkwardness of the drawing, particularly in the relationship between the figure and the chair, indicating that that right shoulder has been repeatedly repainted. However, he also observes that the clasped hands and the still life of the shells, fossils and books are beautifully executed, demonstrating advanced skill. Thomson also compares the creaminess and density of the pigment in the face to that of the portrait of Admiral Ingles, also in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery collection and completed by 1788. These factors introduce difficulty in pinpointing a precise date to the work. However, the piece is speculated to most likely date to 1780 or 1790 (Thomson 1997, p. 66). Dick also considers the technique used in this painting, describing the brushwork below the surface as ‘careful, yet restive, dabbing strokes’ (Dick 1997, p.41).
Born in Edinburgh in 1726, Hutton is considered to be the founder of modern geology (Jones 2004). Although Hutton studied anatomy and chemistry, he never practised medicine. He made his fortune along with John Davie by setting up a plant that manufactured sal-ammoniac using chimney soot as the raw material. Despite his wealth, Hutton also farmed and spent two years studying new agricultural methods. He was known for his great hunger for knowledge and his intellectual pursuits which spanned many fields. His paper, Theory of the Earth, delivered to the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1785 brought Hutton lasting fame and established his legacy as a geologist (Jones 2004).
Despite the awkward pose of the sitter, the composition has been carefully constructed by Raeburn. Each specimen on the desk next to Hutton relates specifically to his theories. The fossil shell may be a reference to his theory on land formed from eroded sediments from the sea bed, the nodule as evidence of heat and fusion on rocks and the veined rock acknowledging Hutton’s theories on molten rock (Thomson 1997, p.68). There is an informality to the image in Hutton’s cross-legged pose and open waistcoat. His expression is relaxed as though the sitter is in quiet contemplation. The bulging right pocket may also reference his interests, as Hutton once stated, ‘a bag of gravel is a history to me’ (Thomson 1997, p.68). As can be said of many of Raeburn’s portraits, the work encapsulates the sitter’s interests and intellectual achievements.
Further reading
Duncan Thomson, The Art of Sir Henry Raeburn 1756-1823, exhibition catalogue, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh 1997.
John Dick, ‘Raeburn’s Methods and Materials’ in Duncan Thomson, The Art of Sir Henry Raeburn 1756-1823, exhibition catalogue, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh 1997.
Jean Jones, ‘Hutton, James (1726–1797)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford 2004; online edition, Sept 2013 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14304, accessed 27 Nov 2016].
Kate O’Donoghue
The University of Edinburgh
November 2016
