50-1/2 x 40 in.
Gift of Mrs. Booth Tarkington
European Painting and Sculpture Before 1800
A gentleman with a righteous air stands before a table, his hand poised upon a stack of documents. This is Robert Blair, one of Scotland’s most renowned legal experts. The golden mace on the table indicates his role as Lord President of the Court of Session, the country’s highest court, between 1808 and 1811. Raeburn draws attention to this instrument with quickly executed highlights, while he employs his signature tasseled curtain and dramatic illumination to frame Blair’s commanding face.
Son of the poet Robert Blair, Lord Blair was renowned for his love of justice, which Tarkington valued. The author wrote admiringly that “Blair was the sort of man who, especially to-day, ‘ought to be President of the United States.’ If only he were!”
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