Robert Scott Lauder (25 June 1803 – 21 April 1869) was a Scottish artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members 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 ...

Life and work

Lauder was born at Silvermills,

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, the third son of Helen Tait (d.1850) and John Lauder of Silvermills (d. 1838), Burgess of Edinburgh and proprietor of the

tannery Tanning, or hide tanning, is the process of treating skins and hides of animals to produce leather. A tannery is the place where the skins are processed. Historically, vegetable based tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound derived fr ...

at Silvermills. After attending the Royal High School, he went to London, where his eldest brother William was engaged in the family business. He returned to Edinburgh in about 1826 and was elected one of the original members of the

in 1830. At this point Lauder was living with his brother William Lauder at 24 Fettes Row in Edinburgh's New Town. On 9 September 1833 at St Cuthbert's Church in Edinburgh, he married Isabella Ramsay Thomson and they then went abroad, accompanied by his younger artist-brother,

James Eckford Lauder James Eckford Lauder (15 August 1811 – 27 March 1869) was a notable mid-Victorian era, Victorian Scottish artist, famous for both portraits and historical pictures. Life and work A younger brother of artist Robert Scott Lauder, he was b ...

. Robert studied for some years in Rome,

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

and

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Lauder returned to London in 1838 where he lived for several years, where his three children — Isabella, John, and Robert — were baptised at St. Thomas’s Church,

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, in 1840, 1841, and 1844 respectively. Whilst in London he exhibited at 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 ...

and competed in the Westminster Hall competition of 1847, sending his ''Christ walking on the Sea'', which was subsequently purchased by Lady

Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts ( Burdett; 21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906) was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daughter of banker Thomas ...

. He became the first president of the short-lived National Institution of Fine Arts and also exhibited there. He later removed back to Edinburgh in 1849 where both his sons —

Robert Scott Lauder Robert Scott Lauder (25 June 1803 – 21 April 1869) was a Scottish artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy. Life and work Lauder was born at Silvermills, Ed ...

(born 1844), who became a physician, and John Thomson Lauder (1841–1865) — attended the

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

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 ...

's novels provided him with subjects for many of his most successful historical paintings. About 1860, he suffered a paralytic stroke and did not practice after 1861. He died at Edinburgh from a bout of bronchitis on 21 April 1869, still paralysed. He is buried in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in List of graveyards and cemeteries in Edinburgh, Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and o ...

in Edinburgh, beneath a large pale sandstone stone with white Sicilian marble inset, carved by John Hutchison. It stands to the east side of the westmost path, just south of

Horatio McCulloch Horatio McCulloch (9 November 1805 – 24 June 1867), sometimes written MacCulloch or M'Culloch, was a Scottish landscape painter. Life He was born in Glasgow 9 November 1805 the son of Alexander McCulloch, a cotton merchant, and his wife, M ...

's grave, but is hard to spot as the sculpture and main monument faces away from the path into the undergrowth. His name is however listed at the head of the reverse side (facing the path) above that of his younger brother,

who is buried with him.

Selected paintings

Key works: *''Scene from

The Bride of Lammermoor ''The Bride of Lammermoor'' is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1819, one of the Waverley novels. The novel is set in the Lammermuir Hills of south-east Scotland, shortly before the Act of Union of 1707 (in the first editio ...

'' (1839) *''The Trial of Effie Deans'' (1840) *''Meg Merrilies'' (1842) *'' Hannah presenting Samuel to Eli'' (1845) *''Christ Teaches Humility'' (1845) *''Mother and Child'' (1848) *''Sentinels'' *''

John Gibson Lockhart John Gibson Lockhart (12 June 1794 – 25 November 1854) was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the seminal, and much-admired, seven-volume biography of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott: ''Memoirs of the Life of Sir ...

'' (Portrait) *''

Reverend John Thomson Rev John Thomson FRSE Hon RSA (1 September 177828 October 1840) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland and noted amateur landscape painter. He was the minister of Duddingston Kirk from 1805 to 1840. Life The youngest of eight chil ...

of Duddingstone'' (Portrait) *'' William Simson, R.S.A.'' (Portrait) *'' Hagar & Ishmael'' (1840) Other pictures of note are: *''Italian Goatherds entertaining a brother of the Santissima Trinita'' (1843) *''Ruth "so she gleaned in the field until even"'' (1845) (see

Book of Ruth The Book of Ruth (, ''Megillath Ruth'', "the Scroll of Ruth", one of the Five Megillot) is included in the third division, or the Writings ( Ketuvim), of the Hebrew Bible. In most Christian canons it is treated as one of the historical books ...

) *''The Gow Chrom Reluctantly Conducting the Glee Maiden to a Place of Safety'' (1846) *''Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery'' Other portraits of note are: *'' Sir Archibald Alison'', Bt. *'' Thomas Duncan'' *'' John Henning Sr.'' *''Elizabeth Lauder, Mrs. William Paterson, with her daughter Janet'' *''Henry Lauder'' (the artist's brother) painted . *'' Sir Thomas Dick Lauder'' *''Robert Scott Lauder'' (self) *''

, with Charlotte Scott'' *'' David Roberts'' (1840) *''David Scott'' *'' Sir John Steell'' *'' Thomas Thomson''

Family

In 1833 he married Isabella Thomson (1809–1869) daughter of Rev

John Thomson of Duddingston Rev John Thomson FRSE HonRoyal Scottish Academy, RSA (1 September 177828 October 1840) was a Scottish minister of the Church of Scotland and noted amateur landscape painter. He was the Minister of the Church of Scotland, minister of Duddingsto ...

.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott

References

Notes

* ''Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers'', edited by George C. Williamson, London 1927, (5 volumes). * ''The Edinburgh Academy Register'', Edinburgh, 1914. * Testaments of John Lauder of Silvermills & Helen Tait, in the

National Archives of Scotland The National Archives of Scotland (NAS) is the previous name of the National Records of Scotland (NRS), and are the national archives of Scotland, based in Edinburgh. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europ ...

. *

External links

*
Works in the National Galleries of Scotland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauder, Robert Scott 19th-century Scottish painters Scottish male painters Scottish portrait painters Painters from Edinburgh People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Alumni of the Trustees' Academy 1803 births 1869 deaths Royal Scottish Academicians Burials at Warriston Cemetery 19th-century Scottish male artists Academics of the Trustees' Academy