About this artwork

This is one of a number of life-size head and shoulder portraits Skirving made while living in Rome. Skirving travelled to Italy in 1786 and worked in Rome for seven years. According to another Scottish visitor, Skirving took 'so much time and bestows so much labour in finishing his pieces that he can never do much' - the meticulous finish of his pastel is certainly suggestive of painstaking effort.

Updated before 2020

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Archibald Skirving

Archibald Skirving