Head of a Jew
Artist: Grant, Sir Francis, RA PPRA RSA HRSA · 1803-1878
An inscription on the back of the work states; "This is my first picture/ (except for a small picture, cabinet size, of my brother Hope Grant)/ I ever painted from life, done 1823 or 1824/ Francis Grant/ Sept 5th 1856."
W D McKay RSA in his 1906 book The Scottish School of Painting suggests that the present work is probably the same picture as one of his four exhibits at the Eighth Exhibition of Modern Paintings, held in the Royal Institution Building on The Mound, Edinburgh, in 1829 "Portrait of a Polish Jew" (cat.192).
In the first (privately) published catalogue of the Academy's art collection, the 1883 publication "Art Property In The Possession of the Royal Scottish Academy," the work is titled "Jew Rabbi" and is accompanied by the following notes "A few years before his death, upon being shown this picture/ Sir Francis declared it was his second essay in oil painting."
The reference to the work being from the life would appear to rule out the painting being a copy; Grant is known to have spent time looking at the private art collections in Broomhall and Kinfauns Castle and is known to have made copies after works he saw there.
Grant was elected an Honorary Member of the Academy (HRSA) on his settling in London. Subsequently he was not only elected a full Academician Member of the Royal Academy of Arts (RA) but became its President. To date he remains the only Scottish born artist to have held that office.
Additional details
-
Object data
Date c.1823 - c.1824 Accession 1992.162 Type Painting Oil on canvas Materials Support canvas
Medium Paint, oilDimensions Support
91.2cm x 71.2cm
Sight
114cm x 94cmAcquisition Deposit, RSA Diploma Collection (1831) -
Exhibitions