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David Martin


Henry Home, Lord Kames, 1696 - 1782. Scottish judge and author

  • Henry Home, Lord Kames, 1696 - 1782. Scottish judge and author
    National Galleries of Scotland collection. Photo, National Galleries of Scotland.

About this artwork

Lord Kames, a judge, legal historian and philosopher, took his title from his birthplace in Berwickshire. He became an advocate in 1723 and was made a judge almost thirty years later. As well as writing books on Scots Law, he published prolifically on other subjects, such as his ‘Essays on Morality’ (1754) and ‘Loose Hints upon Education’ (1782). As a judge he had a reputation for being keen to convict, and was notorious for his coarse humour and language. One example of his biting wit is the remark with which he is said to have greeted the verdict against an old chess partner found guilty of murder: ‘That’s checkmate to you, Matthew!’ This portrait, painted more than a decade after his death, is presumably a copy of an earlier work.

Updated before 2020

Artist:
David Martin (1737 - 1797) Scottish
Title:
Henry Home, Lord Kames, 1696 - 1782. Scottish judge and author
Date:
1794
Materials:
Oil on canvas
Measurements:
126.60 x 101.00 cm; Framed: 150.20 x 124.60 x 10.00 cm
Object type:
Painting
Credit line:
Purchased 1913
Accession number:
PG 822
Gallery:
In Storage
Depicted:
Henry Home
Subjects:
The law
Artwork photographed by:
Antonia Reeve

True colours

David Martin