John Inglis Drever "Don" Pottinger (1919–1986) was a Scottish

officer of arms An officer of arms is a person appointed by a sovereign or state with authority to perform one or more of the following functions: * to control and initiate armorial matters; * to arrange and participate in ceremonies of state; * to conserve a ...

, artist, illustrator and author. He is remembered for the publication, with Sir Iain Moncreiffe, of ''Simple Heraldry, Cheerfully Illustrated'' (1953).

Early life

Pottinger was born at

Carnoustie Carnoustie (; sco, Carnoustie, gd, Càrn Ùstaidh) is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of 1 ...

, Angus in 1919. He was the second son of Reverend William Pottinger, and younger brother of

William George Pottinger (William) George Pottinger (11 June 1916 – 15 January 1998)High School of Dundee The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in Dundee, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils. Its foundation has been dated to 1239, and it is the only priv ...

and received a scholarship to the

Edinburgh College of Art Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, histor ...

in 1937. His plans were interrupted by the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in 1939. He served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

throughout

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and ended his service in Palestine in 1946. During the war, he took time off to marry Fay Keeling. After he was demobilized, Pottinger returned to his art studies in Edinburgh. In 1947 he won the Chalmer's Prize from the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country’s national academy of art. It promotes contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy, it became the ...

, and received his Diploma in Drawing and Painting in 1948. He completed an MA in

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

in 1951 at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

Heraldic career

Pottinger's training led to a career in portrait painting, and he painted many of the most prominent people in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

during the 1950s. In 1949, he was commissioned to paint the official portrait of

Lord Lyon King of Arms The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants ...

, Sir Thomas Innes of Learney. During the sittings for the portrait, Pottinger was delighted by his conversations with Learney about the art of heraldry. This led to an appointment as a part-time herald painter at the Court of Lord Lyon King of Arms. Another result of this commission was Pottinger's meeting Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk and collaborating with him on the book ''Simple Heraldry, Cheerfully Illustrated'' (1953). This book was a best-seller and was reprinted three times in its first year. No small part of the success were Pottinger's "cheerful" illustrations. In 1953 he was appointed as Linlithgow Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary, as Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1961 and Islay Herald of Arms in Ordinary in 1981. Also in 1981, he was appointed

Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records is a legal and heraldic office in Scotland. The holder of this office is appointed by the Crown, and like the Lord Lyon King of Arms receives an annual salary. Lyon Clerk's duties include heraldic research, the ...

at Lyon Court. Throughout his heraldic career, he continued to paint portraits and other works for a variety of clients. In 1985, he was made an Honorary Senior Fellow of Renison University College, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, for his contributions to heraldry.Cuthbert Brandt, Gail, Bold and Courageous Dreams: A History of Renison University College, 1959-2014, pg. 131 Pottinger remained Islay and Lyon Clerk until his death in 1986.

Personal life

Don and Fay Pottinger lived in the

New Town, Edinburgh The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Stree ...

. He was a member of the

New Club The New Club is a private social club in the New Town area of Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded in 1787, it is Scotland's oldest club. The club occupied premises on St Andrew Square from 1809 until 1837, when it moved to purpose-built rooms on Pri ...

Pottinger's own arms

Published works

* * * * * * * * * * * *

References

Sources

External links

The Court of Lord Lyon
* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pottinger, Don Scottish officers of arms Scottish genealogists British Army personnel of World War II 1919 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters People from Carnoustie People educated at the High School of Dundee Alumni of the Edinburgh College of Art Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 20th-century British historians Scottish portrait painters Scottish illustrators 20th-century Scottish male artists