Robert Burns Portrait

 

Introduction

To an extent this post is a continuum of recent posts incorporating references to Robert Burns, Scotland's National Poet. In particular, I refer to the posts covering Kilmarnock and Burns Night 2026. 

Information on Burns Portraits.

Coinciding with Burns birthday celebrations, there occurred reports in the media of the discovery of a long-lost portrait of the poet. The work was painted by renowned artist Sir Henry Raeburn more than 200 years ago but then disappeared. By good fortune it turned up in a house clearance in Surrey (southern England). Subsequently, the portrait (above) was cleaned up, formally identified and sold for £68,000 at auction in 2025.The new owner then loaned the work to the Scottish National Galleries in Edinburgh for a short period.

The new find was not painted from life but from an earlier painting (below) of Burns which is conveniently exhibited close to the Raeburn work. 

Original portrait of Robert Burns 


 

More Information.

For more information on Burns, various other aspects of Scottish culture and help for tourists generally please refer to Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4.This publication is also available via Kindle.

 

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