Collections

   

Dora

Artist: McTaggart, William, RSA · 1835-1910

This painting initially was painted as a darker picture depicting a dusk scene, however it was subsequently repainted in parts to make it into a lighter daytime scene see James Caw's monograph on McTaggart (1917) pages 46 - 47 where he describes in detail the genesis of the painting "When exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1868 'Dora' was/ a twilight piece, not dark but gently luminous...it failed to find a buyer, and before it again appeared (Royal Academy/ 1869) the effect had been changed completely.." The painting now depicted Dora seated on a mound in the full blaze of the morning sun. When the painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1869 as catalogue number 719 the title was not cited as "Dora" but instead part of Tennyson's poem was cited "But when the morrow came/ she rose and took the child/ once more and sat upon the/ mound.." In 1867 McTaggart had produced a study for the initial version of "Dora" and in 1885 he painted another version of the daylight scene for his wife and in 1889 he was working upon another version of the twilight painting. An initial 1866 oil sketch and the later 1885 version painted for McTaggart's wife, were exhibited at the Fine Art Society (Edinburgh) in 1974 in the exhibition "The McTaggarts' McTaggarts". In August 2005 as part of their Scottish Sale Bonhams sold a version of 'Dora' signed and dated 1869 which, according to its provenance, once belonged to William Fettes Douglas RSA PPRSA. The painting was reproduced as part of an advertisement for the sale in the Autumn 2005 edition of 'Scottish Art News From The Fleming Collection'. The painting is also listed on page 27 of 'Catalogue of the Valuable Library in Antiquarian, Art and Scottish Literature of the Late Sir William Fettes Douglas' (1891), copy in RSA Library, 'Dora' is listed as catalogue number 442.





Additional details

Tags




Related work


The interview between Miss Wardour and Edie Ochiltree at the grateful window of the flagged parlour

Proof impression of a plate from the 1867 RAPFAS publication The Antiquary, illustrating the novel of that name by Sir Walter Scott

An image from the RSA collection.

For His Daily Bread

A charcoal study and a watercolour study dated 1879 are recorded by Sir James caw in his definitive study of McTaggart, published in Glasgow in 1917.

An image from the RSA collection.

A Shingly Shore

One of a number of canvases executed by McTaggart at Machrihanish in June 1904. Caw (p.138) writes of these works as follows; "On the other hand,…

An image from the RSA collection.

Harry Bertram in the Kaim of Derncleuch

Proof impression of a plate from the 1866 RAPFAS publication Guy Mannering, illustrating the novel of that name by Sir Walter Scott

A placeholder image containing the logo of the RSA