Lot 4: A view of Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Perthshire, with a gentleman on a horse with a dog in the foreground

Hugh Irvine (fl.1808-1829)
A view of Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Perthshire, with a gentleman on a horse with a dog in the foreground
signed and dated 'H. Irvine 1820' (lower left)
oil on canvas
23¼ x 33¼ in. (59 x 84.4 cm.)

Blair Castle is situated in Blair Atholl, a small town in Perthshire, one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Grampian Mountains, and derives its name from the Gaelic place-name Blair, meaning 'field' or 'plain', referring to its location. The castle was the traditional home of the Earls (now Dukes) of Atholl. The 16th Century castle was besieged during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1746, and after the siege, the upper storey and battlements of the ancient castle were removed to render it indefensible. In the 19th Century it was raised in height and adorned with battlements once more and the walls were rendered with white harling.