About this artwork
Just off the Isle of Mull on the west coast of Scotland lies the island of Iona, famed for its rare and unspoilt beauty. This was one of Scott's favourite places to work. The white sandy beaches, pure light and extremes of weather offered the artist extraordinary possibilities for rendering landscape. This carefully observed watercolour is a study for Scott's large oil painting of 1887, also in the Galleries' collection. Scott has chosen to depict Port na Curachan (Bay of the Coracle) at the southern tip of the island. It was here in 563 AD that, according to legend, St Columba and his twelve monastic followers landed their coracle after sailing from Ireland.
Updated before 2020
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artist:William Bell Scott (1811 - 1890) Scottish
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title:Study for the Painting ‘Port na Curachan, Iona’
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date created:1886
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materials:Watercolour with touches of bodycolour on grey paper
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measurements:22.80 x 27.90 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased with the aid of funds from the Barrogill Keith Bequest 1985
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accession number:D 5133
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gallery:
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subject:
William Bell Scott
William Bell Scott
Scott's detailed and highly coloured paintings of historical, religious and contemporary themes reflect the ideas and concerns he shared with his Pre-Raphaelite friends, in particular, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Scott and his brother, David, trained at the Trustees' Academy in Edinburgh and worked for...