Join a guided tour of the building’s art treasures in the company of the inimitable James Hamilton followed by an informal lunch in Colonnades. Sunday, 24 May, 10.30 am to 12 noon for the tour.
Every picture tells a story. Featured on the left is the great historian and Writer to the Signet, James Anderson. Misattributed to John Vanderbank (c. 1694-1739), the portrait was displayed in the Signet Library for almost ten years. It shows Anderson as the proud antiquary, surrounded by the books and ancient documents that consumed his life. There is something odd about the picture’s frame, which was originally considerably larger but has been cut down to fit the portrait. Other than it not being Vanderbank, we do not know the artist, although the picture bears features in common with works coming from the studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller, whose Kit-cat Club portraits also date from this period and who would paint Harley himself in the year of Lockhart’s account.
Read more about James Anderson WS here.
RSVP to membership@wssociety.co.uk.