About this artwork
Ramsay was one of the most successful portrait painters of the eighteenth century, who rose to become Principal Painter in Ordinary to King George III. This self-portrait was probably drawn while Ramsay was a young student living in London. He was evidently proud of his appearance and his attractiveness; he has depicted himself with long locks of hair that flow to his shoulders. In a poem written by Ramsay, he referred to himself at around the age he is shown here as ‘Bold Allan ..., all dressed in frock of Blew and waistcoat of the Lining Green’ aspiring to ‘… take and bear away' the hearts of girls, 'who eer they were'.
Updated before 2020
-
artist:Allan Ramsay (1713 - 1784) Scottish
-
title:Self-Portrait. Aged 20
-
date created:About 1730 - 1733
-
materials:Black chalk, heightened with white, on buff paper
-
measurements:36.20 x 25.40 cm
-
object type:
-
credit line:David Laing Bequest to the Royal Scottish Academy transferred 1910
-
accession number:D 223
-
gallery:
Allan Ramsay
Allan Ramsay
Ramsay, named after his father who was a poet, was internationally renowned for his outstanding portraits. He attended the new Academy of Saint Luke in Edinburgh and then continued his artistic education in Italy. He visited Rome, studying at the French Academy and Naples. British residents...