Robert Moffat (1795 - 1883), John Mokoteri and Sarah Roby (b. 1826)
About this artwork
John Mokoteri and Sarah Roby were the adopted children of Robert Moffat and his wife, Mary. They were taken in by the Moffats in Kuraman, South Africa where Robert was working for the London Missionary Society. According to contemporary sources, Mokoteri had been previously enslaved, and Roby was saved from infanticide. Although adopted, they ended up holding positions of servitude for the Moffats with Roby acting as a maid to Mary, while Robert toured Mokoteri around the UK as evidence of the apparent success of his mission’s ‘civilising' efforts. Moffat’s missionary work in Africa included writing the first translation of the Bible into Setswana, the language of Kuruman. The translation was reliant on the work of many Tswana people in Kuruman, including Mokoteri, who were uncredited.
Updated before 2020
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artist:William Wallace Scott (1819 - 1905) British
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title:Robert Moffat (1795 - 1883), John Mokoteri and Sarah Roby (b. 1826)
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date created:1842
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materials:Oil on canvas
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measurements:53.40 x 45.70 cm; Framed: 62.20 x 54.70 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased 1964
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accession number:PG 2035
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
William Wallace Scott
William Wallace Scott
William Wallace Scott was a painter of miniature portraits and landscapes, who frequently used watercolours to create minute detail in his paintings. Born in the UK in 1819, Scott’s talent was recognised at an early age. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in London at the age of twenty-two,...