About this artwork

This dramatically lit scene shows a view just off the harbour of St Andrews, looking back towards the town. The remains of the ruined Cathedral can be seen perched on the hill. They form a backdrop to the foreground drama of the fishing boat venturing out into the turbulent waters of St Andrews Bay, notorious for its heavy swell and frequent shipwrecks. Benefitting from improvements in rail connections across Scotland, Bough made frequent excursions to the coastal towns and villages of the East Neuk of Fife from the 1850s to the 1870s. This painting was completed in 1856, the same year that Bough was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy.

Updated before 2020

  • artist:
  • title:
    Off St Andrews
  • date created:
    Dated 1856
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    36.20 x 45.80 cm; Framed: 63.50 x 73.70 x 11.50 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Bequest of Dr. John Kirkhope 1920
  • accession number:
    NG 1475
  • gallery:
  • subject:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Samuel Bough

Samuel Bough