From Humble Beginnings Fine Paintings December 01, 2011 Edinburgh
B
ORN THE SON of a Kirkcudbrightshire tenant farmer whose business failings left his family destitute, James Douglas (1747-1821) and his three brothers would find riches in the New World, amassing fortunes and titles that would entwine their stories with that of Scotland’s, and America's, history. Having established himself in business in London, James, accompanied by his younger brother William, travelled to Queen Street, New York, where in the 1760s and 1770s they seized the opportunities offered by privateering, the cotton and tobacco trades to build a successful business with operations in Norfolk, Virginia and Charleston. As trans-Atlantic trade became depressed after the American War of Independence, however, William and James would return home to Scotland. While the latter founded the town of Castle Douglas (becoming a Baronet in the process), James would use his wealth to philanthropic effect, employing local men in road building and forestry schemes on his estate at Orchardton, acquired for the sum of £25,000 in 1788. Here he would reside with his wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of William Douglas of Worcester, and their four children, before dying in 1821 at the age of 74.
SIR HENRY RAEBURN R.A. (SCOTTISH 1756-1823) THREE-QUARTER LENGTH PORTRAIT OF JAMES DOUGLAS Oil on canvas 125cm x 100cm (49in x 39.5in)
£15,000-20,000 (£24,00-32,000)
Elizabeth, however, would live to the even more advanced age of 95. These portraits by Raeburn, arguably Scotland's greatest portraitist, hung on the walls of Orchardton for many years. They will now be offered in Lyon & Turnbull’s forthcoming Fine Paintings sale on December 1, 2011.
SIR HENRY RAEBURN R.A. (SCOTTISH 1756-1823) THREE-QUARTER LENGTH PORTRAIT OF ELIZABETH DOUGLAS Oil on canvas 125cm x 100cm (49in x 39.5in)
£15,000-20,000 (£24,00-32,000) SPECIALISTS Nick Curnow tel: +44 (0)131 557 8844 nick.curnow@lyonandturnbull.com
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Charlotte Riordan tel: +44 (0)131 557 8844 charlotte.riordan@lyonandturnbull.com
Alasdair Nichol tel: +1 267.414.1211 anichol@freemansauction.com
David Weiss tel: +1 267.414.1214 dweiss@freemansauction.com