William Aikman

William Aikman was a Scottish portrait painter whose pictures are known for soft light, mellow shadows and gentle, harmonious colour. His sitters, from Scottish lords to London society, are shown calmly and without show, in the manner of Sir Godfrey Kneller, the leading portraitist of the day.

He spent five years in Italy, mostly in Rome, and also travelled to Istanbul and Smyrna before returning to Edinburgh, where he became the leading portrait painter in Scotland. In 1723 he moved to London under the patronage of John Campbell, Duke of Argyll, and built a strong practice among the nobility and gentry. Several full-length portraits by him hang at Blickling Hall in Norfolk.

His portraits of figures such as John Dalrymple and Lady Anne Maxwell show his quiet style. Look for the soft modelling of the face and the restrained palette.