About this artwork

Surprisingly, given the beauty of this sensitive drawing, the artist never met his subject, Robert Burns. Skirving used the well-known painting of Burns by Alexander Nasmyth as the basis for this work. There are very few portraits of Scotland's most famous poet actually taken directly from the sitter. Skirving's interpretation idealises Burns, making him a perfectly handsome, smooth-faced romantic figure.

Updated before 2020

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Archibald Skirving

Archibald Skirving