90 OLD AND NEW EDINBURGH. [The Mound,
Sculpture had its origin early in the present
century, though in past times the Scottish School
of ?Painters ranked among its number several
celebrities. Of these the most noted was George
Jameson, born at Aberdeen in 1586; he studied
under Rubens, and won himself the name of the
Scottish Vandyke. Charles I. sat to him for his
portrait, as did many other great Scotsmen of the
period. He was succeeded by the elder Scougal,
a painter of many works ; Scougal the younger ; De
Witte ; Nicolas Hude, a French Protestant refugee;
John Baptist0 Medina, a native of Brussels, whose
son John was a ?( Limner? in Hyndford?s Close
in 1784; Aikman; Wait; Allan Ramsay (son of
the poet); Norrie, the landscape painter;? the
Runcimans, Brown, and latterly David Allan,
Graham, Wilkie, Gibson, Thomson, Raeburn, and
the Watsons.
The first movement towards fostering native
art was, undoubtedly, the appointment by the
Board of Trustees, in 1760, of a permanent
master for the instruction of the youth of both sexes
in drawing, thus Iaying the foundation of a School
of Design. The second important organisation
was that named the ?Institution for the En.
couragement of the Fine Arts,? founded on the 1st
of February, 1819, on the model of the British
Institution of London, for the annual exhibition oi
pictures by old masters, and subsequently those
of living artists. It consisted chiefly of gentlemen,
who, on the payment of A50, became shareholders
or life-members. The first exhibition by the Institution
was in York Place, in March, 1819, but
owing to certain complications between it and
artists generally, they were, even if members, not
permitted to exercise the sliL!itest control over the
funds.
Prior to this time the leading artists resident in
Edinburgh had associated together for the purpose
of having an annual exhibition of their works,
which was also held in York Place. The first of these
occurred in 1808, and Lord Cockburn refers to it
as the most gratifying occurrence of the period, and
as one that ?proclaimed the dawn of modern
Scottish art.?
Among the pictures shown on that auspicious
occasion the catalogue records three by George
Watson, including the portrait of the celebrated
Bishop Hay; three by A. Nasmyth; two by
Douglas, one being a portrait of Mrs. Boswell of
Auchinleck ; three fancy pictures by Case ; ?? The
Fa1 of Buchan crowning Master Gattie,? by W.
Lizars; a black chalk landscape by Thomson;
and in the succeeding year, 1809, the catalogue
mentions, briefly noted, five by Raeburn, including
his Walter Scott; three by Gorge Watson, one
being the ?? Portrait of an Old Scots Jacobite;?
three by Thomson of Duddingston ; a fancy picture
of Queen Mary, by.John Watson, afterwards Sir J.
W. Gordon.
Carse, called the Teniers of Scotland, died early ;
but ?this exhibition did incalculable good. It
drew such artists as we had out of their obscurity;
it showed them their strength and their weakness :
it excited public attention: it gave them importance.?
During five exhibitions, between 1809 and 1813,
the members thus associated saved ,61,888, hut
not being sufficiently restricted by their laws from
dissolving at any time, the sum amassed proved a
temptation, and it was divided among the exhibitors.
The Society then broke up and dispersed, and it
was while they were in this state of disorganisation
that the Directors of the Institution, finding the
old masters not sufficiently attractive to the public,
made overtures to the artists for an exhibition of
modern pictures and sculpture under their auspices,
and to set the proceeds aside for the benefit of the
said artists and their families.
Thus the first exhibition of the works of living
artists under the direction of the Institution took
place in 1821, and it proved such a success that it
was repeated yearly till I 82 9.
The Institution had in 1826, besides one hundred
and thirty-one ordinary members, thirteen
honorary, five of whom were artists, under the title
of Associate Members, and the exhibitions were
held in the Galleries of the Royal Institution, for
which an attnual rent of A380 was paid; but as
great discontent was expressed by artists who
were Associate Members, because they were denied
all consideration in the inanagement in the year
mentioned, they resolved to found a Scottish
Academy.
It was in the summer of 1826 that the document
by which this important movement was inaugurated
went round for signature in the hands otillr. William
Nicholson. When published, twenty-four names
appeared to it : those of thirteen Academicians,
nii e Associates, and two Associate Engravers.
The first general meeting of ?The Scottish
Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture,?
was held on the 27th of May, 1826, Mr. Patrick
Syme in the chair, and the following gentlemen were
elected as office-bearers for the year :-George
Watson, President ; William Nicholson, Secretmy ;
Thomas Hamilton, Treamrn: The Council consisted
of four.
Mr. George Watson, who has been justly
deemed the founder of the Academy, was the son
