Sir John Watson Gordon R.A., (British, 1788-1864)

Portrait of Rev. Alexander Carlyle (1722 - 1805) 76.2 x 63.5 cm. (30 x 25 in.)

Portrait of Rev. Alexander Carlyle (1722 - 1805)
bears inscription (verso)
oil on canvas
76.2 x 63.5 cm. (30 x 25 in.)

Carlyle was a quintessential figure of the Scottish Enlightenment. For over fifty years he was the minister at Inveresk, but he was also an active participant in the intellectual life in Edinburgh. He counted David Hume and Adam Smith as friends and was an early member of the city's debating club, the Select Society. In his youth, Carlyle had a commanding physical presence, tall and handsome. Sir Walter Scott called him 'the grandest demigod I ever saw'. His autobiography, published long after his death, is considered one of the best memoirs of the period.
A similar portrait of him by Archibald Skirving is in the National Galleries of Scotland Collection.