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Ramsay, Allan
Ramsay, Allan (b Edinburgh, 2 Oct. 1713; d Dover, 10 Aug. 1784). Scottish painter, active mainly in London, where he was the outstanding portraitist from about 1740 until the rise of Reynolds in the mid-1750s. He studied in Edinburgh and London, and then from 1736 to 1738 in Italy (including a period with Solimena in Naples), and when he returned to London he brought a cosmopolitan air to British portraiture. His pictures of women have a decidedly French grace (The Artist's Wife, c.1755, NG, Edinburgh) and in this field he continued to be a serious rival to Reynolds. He was preferred to Reynolds by the royal family and in 1767 was appointed principal painter to George III. However, after injuring his right arm in an accident in 1773 he gave up painting (although his studio continued to produce replicas of royal portraits) and devoted himself to his other interests. He was the son of the poet Allan Ramsay, and he inherited his father's literary inclinations. Political pamphleteering, classical archaeology (he revisited Rome in 1754–7 and 1775–7), and conversation took up much of his later years. He was a prominent figure in literary circles and Samuel Johnson said of him: ‘You will not find a man in whose conversation there is more instruction, more information, and more elegance.’
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "Ramsay, Allan." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Ramsay, Allan." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-RamsayAllan.html IAN CHILVERS. "Ramsay, Allan." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-RamsayAllan.html |
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Ramsay, Allan
Ramsay, Allan (1713–84). Scottish painter, active mainly in London, where he was the outstanding portraitist from about 1740 to the rise of Reynolds in the mid-1750s. He studied in Edinburgh and London, and then from 1736 to 1738 in Italy (including a period with Solimena in Naples), and when he returned to London he brought a cosmopolitan air to British portraiture. His pictures of women have a decidedly French grace (The Artist's Wife, c.1755, NG, Edinburgh) and in this field he continued to be a serious rival to Reynolds. He was preferred to Reynolds by the royal family and in 1767 was appointed principal painter to George III. However, after injuring his right arm in an accident in 1773 he gave up painting (although his studio continued to produce replicas of royal portraits) and devoted himself to his other interests. He was the son of the poet Allan Ramsay, and he inherited his father's literary inclinations. Political pamphleteering, classical archaeology (he revisited Rome in 1754–7 and 1775–7), and conversation took up much of his later years. He was a prominent figure in literary circles and Samuel Johnson said of him: ‘You will not find a man in whose conversation there is more instruction, more information, and more elegance.’
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "Ramsay, Allan." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "Ramsay, Allan." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-RamsayAllan.html IAN CHILVERS. "Ramsay, Allan." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-RamsayAllan.html |
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Ramsay, Allan
Ramsay, Allan (1713–84). Portrait painter, born in Edinburgh, son of the poet Allan Ramsay. He studied in Edinburgh, London, Rome, and Naples, settling in London in 1739 and quickly establishing himself as the leading portraitist of the capital. He was particularly successful in painting women. ‘Mr. Ramsay is formed to paint them,’ said Horace Walpole, and Ramsay was a serious rival to Reynolds. He became a favourite painter of the royal family and was appointed principal painter in ordinary to George III in 1767. His employment at court and his career as a portrait painter ended in 1773 when he suffered an accident to his right arm. The rest of his life was spent in travel, writing, and conversation. His friends included David Hume, for whom he painted Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Samuel Johnson, who said of him, ‘You will not find a man in whose conversation there is more instruction, more information, and more elegance, than in Ramsay's.’
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Ramsay, Allan." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Ramsay, Allan." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-RamsayAllan.html JOHN CANNON. "Ramsay, Allan." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-RamsayAllan.html |
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Ramsay, Allan
Ramsay, Allan (1686–1758), Scottish poet and bookseller. He opened the first circulating library in Edinburgh in 1726 (see libraries, circulating). In 1718 he brought out anonymously several editions of Christis Kirk on the Green, with supplementary verses of his own in fake antique Scots. A collection of his elegies and satires appeared in 1721. He issued The Tea-Table Miscellany (1724–37), the first of many 18th-cent. collections of songs and ballads; The Ever Green (1724), which contained work by the great poets of late medieval Scotland, notably Dunbar and Henryson, though with revisions and additions of his own, and which contributed much to the revival of vernacular Scottish poetry; and a pastoral comedy, The Gentle Shepherd (1725), with Scots songs.
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Cite this article
MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Ramsay, Allan." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Ramsay, Allan." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-RamsayAllan.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Ramsay, Allan." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-RamsayAllan.html |
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Allan Ramsay
Allan Ramsay 1685?-1758, Scottish poet. An Edinburgh bookseller, he opened one of the first circulating libraries in Great Britain. The Gentle Shepherd (1725), a pastoral comedy, is his most famous poetic work. He compiled several collections of old Scottish poems and songs and is considered an important figure in the revival of Scottish vernacular poetry that culminated in the work of Robert Burns . His son, Allan Ramsay, 1713-84, was a noted portrait painter. After a successful career in Edinburgh he moved to London in 1767 and became principal painter to George III.
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Cite this article
"Allan Ramsay." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Allan Ramsay." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ramsay-A.html "Allan Ramsay." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Ramsay-A.html |
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Ramsay, Allan
Ramsay, Allan (1713–84). Portrait painter, born in Edinburgh, son of the poet Allan Ramsay. He studied in Edinburgh, London, Rome, and Naples, settling in London in 1739 and quickly establishing himself as the leading portraitist of the capital. He was particularly successful in painting women. His career as a portrait painter ended in 1773 when he suffered an accident to his right arm.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "Ramsay, Allan." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "Ramsay, Allan." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-RamsayAllan.html JOHN CANNON. "Ramsay, Allan." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-RamsayAllan.html |
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Ramsay, Allan
Ramsay, Allan (1713–84) Scottish portrait painter. The Scottish counterpart of Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds, Ramsay settled in London where, in 1760, he was appointed painter to George III in preference to his rival, Reynolds. His style, graceful and Italianate, lent itself especially well to female portraiture, such as The Artist's Wife (1755).
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Cite this article
"Ramsay, Allan." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Ramsay, Allan." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-RamsayAllan.html "Ramsay, Allan." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-RamsayAllan.html |
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