John Graham-Gilbert (1794 – 4 June 1866) was a Scottish portrait painter and art collector.

Life

Graham-Gilbert was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

as John Graham, the son of David Graham a West India merchant and co-owner of Graham, Milne & Co who owned a counting house (accountants) on Queen Strett. John was at first trained in his father's counting-house, but preferred art and travelled to London in 1818 where he was admitted into the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

. In 1819 he won a silver medal for best drawing from the antique, and in 1821 a gold medal for his historical painting of ‘The Prodigal Son.’ He established himself in London as a portrait-painter, and contributed to the exhibitions of the Royal Academy from 1820 to 1823. He then went to Italy to study old masters of the Venetian school. He settled in Edinburgh in 1827, living at 14 George Street in the

New town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

. He sent a portrait to the first exhibition of the

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

. In 1834 he married the wealthy heiress Jane Gilbert of

Yorkhill Yorkhill () is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated north of the River Clyde in the West End of the city. It is known for its famous hospitals and remains the location of the West Glasgow Ambulatory Care Hospital. The Kel ...

. He added her name to his, and moved to her native Glasgow. He remained an exhibitor at the Royal Scottish Academy, but from 1844 he also exhibited at the Royal Academy in London. He died at Yorkhill House in north-west Glasgow on 4 June 1866. He is buried on the northern slope of the

Glasgow Necropolis The Glasgow Necropolis is a Victorian era, Victorian cemetery in Glasgow, Scotland. It is on a low but very prominent hill to the east of St. Mungo's Cathedral, Glasgow, Glasgow Cathedral (St. Mungo's Cathedral). Fifty thousand individuals have ...

. Jane Graham-Gilbert died on 22 March 1877, and left dozens of artworks to Glasgow, including work by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

. Yorkhill House was demolished around 1910 to make way for the Hospital for Sick children.

Family

In 1834, on marriage to Jane Gilbert (1801–1877), daughter of Andrew Gilbert a rich Glasgow merchant, he thereafter called himself John Graham-Gilbert. Through this marriage he inherited Yorkhill House from his father-in-law.

Trivia

The counting house where Graham Gilbert trained still exists on the corner of Queen Street and St Vincent Street. Now a bar, it is called The Counting House and is relatively intact both inside and out.

Works

File:JohnGraham-TheRajahofMadras-c1828.jpg, Portrait of Colonel

William Farquhar Major-General William Farquhar (26 February 1774 – 11 May 1839) was a Madras Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the resident of Malacca from 1803 to 1818 and the resident of Singapore from 1819 to 1823. Early life Far ...

, c. 1828 File:Sir Walter Scott, 1st Bt by John Graham Gilbert.jpg, Portrait of Scottish historical novelist

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

, 1st Bt, 1829 File:Adam Black by John Graham-Gilbert.png, Portrait of the merchant Adam Black File:Charles Horsfall Crop.jpg, Liverpool merchant Charles Horsfall, engraved by Edward Burton from a painting by Graham-Gilbert

Art collection

His widow Jane Graham-Gilbert, who died in 1877, bequeathed to the Corporation Galleries of Art at Glasgow a small collection left to her by her husband, together with a number of his own pictures, totalling 70 paintings. These include works by

Palma Vecchio Palma Vecchio ( – 30 July 1528), born Jacopo Palma, also known as Jacopo Negretti, was a Venetian painter of the Italian High Renaissance. He is called Palma Vecchio in English and Palma il Vecchio in Italian ("Palma the Elder") to distingu ...

, Gaspard Dughet,

Paris Bordone Paris Bordone (Paris Paschalinus Bordone; 5 July 1500 – 19 January 1571) was an Italian painter of the Venetian Renaissance who, despite training with Titian, maintained a strand of Mannerist complexity and provincial vigor. Biography Bor ...

and Dutch masters such as

, Johannes Lingelbach, Nicolaes Eliasz. Pickenoy,

Philips Wouwerman Philips Wouwerman (also Wouwermans) (24 May 1619 (baptized) – 19 May 1668) was a Dutch painter of hunting, landscape and battle scenes. He became prolific during the Dutch Golden Age and joined the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. Life and work P ...

Willem van de Velde the Younger Willem van de Velde the Younger (18 December 1633 (baptised)6 April 1707) was a Dutch marine painter, the son of Willem van de Velde the Elder, who also specialised in maritime art. His brother, Adriaen van de Velde, was a landscape painter. ...

and

Ludolf Bakhuizen Ludolf BakhuizenLudolf Bakhuizen
at the

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a museum and art gallery in Glasgow, Scotland, managed by Glasgow Museums. The building is located in Kelvingrove Park in the West End of the city, adjacent to Argyle Street. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Mu ...

References

* :s:Graham-Gilbert, John (DNB00)
John Graham Gilbert
in the Oxford Biography Index, Number 101011228 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, John Graham 1794 births 1866 deaths Artists from Glasgow 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters Scottish portrait painters Scottish art collectors Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Royal Scottish Academicians Burials at the Glasgow Necropolis 19th-century Scottish male artists