About this artwork

This portrait dates from around 1810, the year Justina Wynne married the handsome Alexander Finlay of Glencorse, Midlothian. Raeburn painted her on his grandest scale, accompanied by a dog, the symbol of marital fidelity. This portrait was probably painted in Raeburn's new custom built studio in York Place in Edinburgh, which had a complex set of adjustable window shutters that allowed him to direct the fall of natural light on to his sitters. Here, Raeburn has masterfully controlled multiple sources of light, producing impressive yet subtle effects. The strong shaft of oblique light behind the sitter adds definition to her silhouette, whereas the softer light that derives from the front models her features and flatteringly illuminates her clothing.

Updated before 2020

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  • artist:
    Sir Henry Raeburn (1756 - 1823) Scottish
  • title:
    Justina Camilla Wynne, Mrs Alexander Finlay of Glencorse (1785 - 1814)
  • date created:
    About 1810
  • materials:
    Oil on canvas
  • measurements:
    226.00 x 151.20 cm
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Bequest of Marian Sandeman, Mrs Henry Glassford Bell 1915; transferred from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
  • accession number:
    NG 1192
  • gallery:
  • depicted:
  • subject:
  • artwork photographed by:
    Antonia Reeve
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Sir Henry Raeburn

Sir Henry Raeburn