Richard Cosway, Portrait of the Hon. Henry Erskine, 1793

Chicago:

Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, “Richard Cosway, Portrait of the Hon. Henry Erskine, 1793,” catalogue entry in Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, Blythe Sobol, and Maggie Keenan, The Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures, 1500–1850: The Collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, vol. 2, ed. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2024), https://doi.org/10.37764/8322.5.1332.

MLA:

Marcereau DeGalan, Aimee. “Richard Cosway, Portrait of the Hon. Henry Erskine, 1793,” catalogue entry. Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, Blythe Sobol, and Maggie Keenan. The Starr Collection of Portrait Miniatures, 1500–1850: The Collections of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, edited by Aimee Marcereau DeGalan, vol. 2, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2024. doi: 10.37764/8322.5.1332.

See the artist’s biography in volume 4.

This portrait miniature stands as an exemplary study of character and remains a remarkable testament to Richard Cosway’s ability to capture the essence of his subjects. Compared to other portraits of the Honorable Henry Erskine (1746–1817) by artists such as Henry Raeburn (Scottish, 1756–1823), which tend to depict him in a more idealized manner (Fig. 1), Cosway’s portrayal delves deeper into the nuances of the sitter’s personality.¹

Henry Erskine, a prominent Whig politician and lawyer, was known for his legendary oratory skills and his distinguished law career.² As dean of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland from 1785 to 1795, the period in which he sat for Cosway, Erskine played a significant role in the Scottish legal system, defending notable figures such as the infamous Edinburgh thief William “Deacon” Brodie.³ Erskine was also a member of Parliament and served in various administrative capacities.⁴ He married twice: first in 1772 to Christian Fullerton, with whom he had two sons and two surviving daughters,⁵ and then, following Fullerton’s death in 1804, to a widow, Erskine Munro, in 1805.⁶ Thus, neither union was the impetus for the present portrait’s commission. Henry Erskine was appointed a judge in Scotland in 1808, retiring three years later to his country residence of Almondell in Linlithgowshire, where he died on October 1817, aged seventy.

By at least 1795, Erskine was living at 68 Princes Street, facing Edinburgh Castle, having moved there from George Square, where he was living by 1785.⁷ He likely lived at one of these two residences in 1793, the year the portrait was realized; however, he probably went down to London to sit for the present portrait, as it is not believed that Cosway ever went to Scotland.⁸ Cosway’s portrait captures the man behind the public persona. Erskine was described by contemporaries as “a tall and rather slender figure, a face sparkling with vivacity, a clear sweet voice, and general suffusion of elegance.”⁹ Notwithstanding the miniature’s slightly faded appearance in the flesh tones, it retains its integrity. The forty-seven-year-old looks pensively to the side rather than directly at the viewer, as if lost in thought. This introspective pose, coupled with the subtle shading that casts the left side of his face into shadow, suggests a glimpse into Erskine’s inner world.

One of the most striking aspects of Cosway’s portrait is its lifelike quality. In the 1790s, Cosway began to experiment with character studies, moving away from the conventional, idealized portraits of his earlier career, like his portrait of William Nathan Wright Hewett, also in the Starr collection.¹⁰ Here, as Stephen Lloyd suggests, Cosway almost prefigures his later, grayer period after 1800 and presents a wistful, proto-Romantic style.¹¹ With meticulous attention to detail, such as the sitter’s prominent cheekbones and gentle eyes, Cosway captures the soul of the sitter, revealing layers of complexity and emotion beneath the surface. The sitter’s eyes, in particular, with their slightly sagging lids and dark semicircles beneath, convey a sense of depth and intensity of experience, drawing the viewer into Erskine’s thoughts and emotions. Despite the passage of time, the portrait remains a powerful testament to Cosway’s skill as an artist and his ability to capture the essence of his subjects.

Notes

1. The Raeburn portrait of Erskine was later engraved, and a bust by Peter Turnerelli (Irish, 1774–1839) is in Parliament Hall in Edinburgh. For the portrait bust, see Michael T. R. B. Turnbull, Monuments and Statues of Edinburgh (Edinburgh: Chambers, 1989), 54.

2. Much of the biographical information for Erskine comes from Michael Fry, “Erskine, Henry (1746–1817), lawyer and politician,” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, September 23, 2004, https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/8858. See also Charles Mosley, ed., Burke’s Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage (Wilmington, DE: Burke’s Peerage and Gentry, 2003), 1:567. For a deeper dive into the history of Henry Erskine, his family, and his role as Lord Advocate for Scotland, see Fergusson Alexander and Elizabeth Cust, The Honourable Henry Erskine: Lord Advocate for Scotland with Notices of Certain of His Kinsfolk and of His Time (Edinburgh: W. Blackwood and Sons, 1882). Erskine served as Lord Advocate from 1783 to 1784. A Lord Advocate is the principle legal adviser to the Scottish government. They offer legal advice to the government on its responsibilities, policies, legislation, and the legal implications of proposals brought forward by the government.

3. For more on the Brodie case, see Scotland High Court of Justiciary, Trial of Deacon Brodie, 3rd rev. ed. (Edinburgh: W. Hodge, 1921). Erskine served as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates from 1785 to 1795. The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers admitted to practice as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. Based in Edinburgh, it is a constituent part of the College of Justice. Elected by the entire membership, the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates served as the leader of the Faculty of Advocates.

4. Erskine was a Member of Parliament for Haddington Burghs from April to November 1806; “The House of Commons Constituencies Beginning with ‘H,’” leighrayment.com, last updated August 31, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20141010004533/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Hcommons1.htm; and for Dumfries Burghs from 1806 to 1807; “The House of Commons Constituencies Beginning with ‘D,’” leighrayment.com, last updated May 14, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20141009194554/http://www.leighrayment.com/commons/Dcommons4.htm.

5. Their children included Elizabeth Frances, who died young; Elizabeth Crompton, afterward Mrs. Callendar; Henrietta, afterward Mrs. Smith; and two sons, Henry and George, the former of whom married the eldest daughter of the late Sir Charles Shipley in 1811 and became the 12th Earl of Buchan upon his uncle’s death. James Ward, “Henry Erskine (1746–1817),” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, September 23, 2005, https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/8858. Henry Raeburn painted Erskine’s son Henry around 1805; see Henry Raeburn, Henry David Erskine, 12th Earl of Buchan, ca. 1805, oil on canvas, 49 1/2 x 39 1/2 in. (125.7 x 100.3 cm), Detroit Institute of Arts, https://dia.org/collection/henry-david-erskine-twelfth-earl-buchan-57920.

6. Munro was the daughter of Alexander Munro and the widow of Sir James Turnbull, governor of Madras. Henry Roscoe, The Life and Times of William Roscoe (London: T. Cadell, 1833), 1:12. See also Mosley, ed., Burke’s Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, 1:567. Their union was childless.

7. Peter Williamson, Williamson’s Directory for the City of Edinburgh Canongate Leith and Suburbs (Edinburgh: P. Williamson, 1785), 27; Thomas Aitchison, A Directory for Edinburgh Leith Mussleburgh and Dalkeith (Edinburgh: R. Wilson, 1794–95), 74.

8. In 1791, Cosway moved to 22 Stratford Place, and in 1794 he moved to 24 Stratford Place. He visited William Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon and 3rd Viscount Courtenay, in Exeter; and he visited William Beckford at Fonthill Abbey around 1791–92. In 1791, he toured the Midlands, and in 1796 he went to Paris with his wife, Maria, but otherwise did not travel, according to Stephen Lloyd during his October 2023 visit. Notes in NAMA curatorial files.

9. Michael Turnbull, Monuments and Statues of Edinburgh (Edinburgh: Chambers, 1989), 54.

10. Stephen Lloyd shared this insight during his October 2023 visit. Notes in NAMA curatorial files.

11. Stephen Lloyd visit, October 2023. Notes in NAMA curatorial files.

John Ross Menzies (1852–1935), West Links House, North Berwick, Scotland, by 1935;

Purchased from his posthumous sale, Objects of Vertu, Sotheby’s, London, June 28, 1935, lot 150, as The Hon. Henry Erskine, by Pawsey and Paine, London, 1935 [1];

Mrs. Marjorie Rees, by 1954 [2];

Purchased from her sale, Fine Portrait Miniatures, Faberge, Watches, and Objects of Vertu, Sotheby’s, London, November 11, 1954, lot 66, as Hon. Henry Erskine, by Leggatt Brothers, London, probably on behalf of Mr. John W. (1905–2000) and Mrs. Martha Jane (1906–2011) Starr, Kansas City, MO, 1954–1958 [3];

Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1958.

Notes

[1] The lot description states, “The Hon. Henry Erskine, by Richard Cosway, nearly full face, the head slightly turned and gaze directed to sitter’s left, in grey coat with white cravat, cloud and sky background, signed in full at the back and dated 1793, 2 5/8 in. [See Frontispiece].” According to an attached price list, Pawsey and Paine bought lot 150 for 42 pounds.

[2] Additional information on Rees remains unknown, but her life dates may be ca. 1899–1955.

[3] The lot description states, “A Miniature of the Hon. Henry Erskine by Richard Cosway, signed and dated 1793, head and gaze three-quarters sinister, powdered hair, in white frilled cravat and grey coat, cloud and sky background, 2 3/4 in.” The sale is located at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Miller Nichols Library and is likely annotated by Mr. or Mrs. Starr with “B – 400.” The illustration is also annotated with “400.” According to an attached price list, Leggatt bought lot 66 for 145 pounds. Archival research has shown that Leggatt Brothers served as purchasing agents for the Starrs. See correspondence between Betty Hogg and Martha Jane Starr, May 15 and June 3, 1950, Nelson-Atkins curatorial files.

The Starr Foundation Collection of Miniatures, The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, December 8, 1972–January 14, 1973, no cat., no. 66, as The Honorable Henry Erskine.

“Forthcoming Sales by Auction,” Country Life (June 22, 1935): xxxi.

Catalogue of Objects of Vertu (London: Sotheby’s, June 28, 1935), 21, (repro.), as The Hon. Henry Erskine.

Catalogue of Fine Portrait Miniatures, Faberge, Watches, and Objects of Vertu (London: Sotheby’s, November 11, 1954), 12, (repro.), as The Hon. Henry Erskine.

Ross E. Taggart, The Starr Collection of Miniatures in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery (Kansas City, MO: Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, 1971), no. 66, p. 26, (repro.), as The Honorable Henry Erskine.