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William Hunter
Unknown artist after Joshua Reynolds
Oil on Canvas
William Hunter (1718-1783), born in East Kilbride, is an important figure in both medicine and the arts. He was a renowned obstetrician and anatomist but maintained a keen interest in art and collecting. Over the years Hunter built a magnificent and varied collection of art and artefacts which he ultimately bequeathed to the University of Glasgow. To this day, Hunter’s bequest forms the core of the Hunterian Museum’s collection. Many objects have subsequently been added to the collection, including the posthumous portrait of Hunter painted by Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) of which this is a copy.
Reynolds was, at the time, arguably Britain’s foremost painter and portrait artist. He was a founding member, and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, where Hunter lectured in anatomy. The pair were firm friends, and are often pictured together attending lectures at the RA. When the portrait was commissioned for Glasgow University in order to perpetuate Hunter's likeness, Reynolds was the natural choice of artist. He painted the portrait largely from memory, referring to earlier portraits of Hunter and his death mask as aids. In Reynolds’ portrait, Hunter is shown almost full length, surrounded by the tools of his study. |
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