Robert Thorburn, (1818–1885) was a Scottish miniature-painter and associate of 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 ...

.Cust 1898, p. 280.

Life

Robert Thorburn, born at

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...

in March 1818, was the son of a tradesman. He received his early education at Dumfries High School. He soon developed a love of art, and, owing to the kindness of a neighbouring lady, was at the age of fifteen sent to Edinburgh to draw at the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, where he made rapid progress and gained distinction. About three years later he came to London and entered the classes of the Royal Academy. As a native of Dumfries he enjoyed the special patronage of the

Duke of Buccleuch Duke of Buccleuch ( ), formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created twice on 20 April 1663, first for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, and second ''suo jure'' for his wife Anne Scott, 4th Countess of ...

, whereby he obtained many commissions. Thorburn's success as a miniature-painter was soon secured, and for many years he shared the patronage of fashionable society with Sir William Charles Ross. In 1846 he received his first commission from

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

; many followed. Miniature-portraits of the Queen, and of the queen with

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

, when Prince of Wales, are reproduced in Sir R. R. Holmes's ''Queen Victoria'' (1897). Thorburn's miniatures were of a larger size than usual, showing more of the figure and often accompanied by a landscape background. They are painted on large pieces of ivory, sometimes on pieces joined together. Their extreme finish produces a sense of monotony and flatness where the colours have lost their freshness. They were, however, very much admired at the time of their production, and at the Paris International Exhibition of 1855 Thorburn was awarded a gold medal. One of his most widely known miniatures is that of the Duchess of Manchester, a reproduction of which is given in J. J. Foster's ''British Miniature Painters'' (1898). The same work contains a portrait of Thorburn from a miniature by himself and a list of Thorburn's principal sitters, comprising most of the beautiful ladies of the time. Thorburn was elected an associate of the Royal Academy in 1848. When photography began to supersede miniature painting, he took to oil-painting, and exhibited portraits and other subjects at the Royal Academy exhibitions with moderate success. He had a house at

Lasswade Lasswade is a village and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River North Esk, south of Edinburgh city centre, contiguous with Bonnyrigg and between Dalkeith to the east and Loanhead to the west. Melville Castle lies to the north ...

, near Edinburgh, but died at Tunbridge Wells on 3 November 1885 in his sixty-eighth year, having quite outlived the great reputation of his earlier years.

Gallery

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * Cust. L. H.; Burnette, Arianne (2004)
"Thorburn, Robert (1818–1885), miniature painter"
In ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press. * Foster, Joshua James (1898)
''British Miniature Painters and Their Works''
Nottingham: R. B. Earp & Sons, Ltd. pp. 80–83, 91–97, 101, 110–111. * Oliver, Valerie Cassel, ed. (2011)
"Thorburn, Robert"
In ''

Benezit Dictionary of Artists The ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists'' (in French, ''Bénézit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs'') is an extensive publication of bibliographical information on painters, sculptors, designers and engravers create ...

''. Oxford University Press. {{Authority control (arts) 1818 births 1885 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters Associates of the Royal Academy