David Martin 1737-1797

three-quarter length, seated, wearing a cream dress, playing a mandolin

The Scottish painter David Martin was a pupil of Alan Ramsay, whom he accompanied on a tour of Italy between 1756 and 1757. On his return he based himself in London where he exhibited widely. His admission in 1780 to the Royal Company of Archers marked his return to Edinburgh and this elegant portrait is an excellent example of the high quality of portraits which he painted in the city.