The Skating Minister by Henry Raeburn | National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh

This video looks at Scotland’s greatest masterpiece, the Skating Minister. The Skating Minister was bought by the National Gallery of Scotland in 1949 and it’s a portrait of the Rev’d Robert Walker, who lived and worked in Edinburgh. Not only is it considered the most famous work by Henry Raeburn, it’s also seen as one of the best-known Scottish paintings. But in 2005 this painting was thrown into the limelight and there was some debate over who actually painted the work? Was this very Scottish painting really painted by Henry Raeburn or was it actually painted by a Frenchman, Henri-Pierre Danloux?
The Rev’d Robert Walker (The Skating Minister) actually sounds like he’d have been a really interesting man, if you were to bump into him in 18th century Scotland. He was born in Monkton, a village in Ayrshire and he was the son of the Rev William Walker who was appointed to the Scots church in Rotterdam - this meant that Robert grew up in the Netherlands, where his father was working and it means that as a boy, it’s extremely likely he learnt how to skate there. The painting of the Skating Minister possibly shows Walker’s ties with the Netherlands intentionally - this painting is slightly reminiscent of seventeenth-century Dutch artworks, like those of Hendrick Avercamp.
When he became an adult, Walker decided to follow his father into the ministry and in 1770, he was licensed by the Presbytery of Edinburgh. He got a few promotions in his career until in 1784, he was given a very important job. He made the senior minister of the parish of Canongate by George III. This was a prestigious post because it included the Palace of Holyrood, which was the royal family’s official residence when they were in Scotland.
Walker not only had a great career, he also took part in a number of clubs and societies in Edinburgh, so he was clearly quite a prominent figure in Edinburgh’s social scene. One of the groups he was heavily involved in was the Edinburgh Skating Society and he was even part of the club’s council for several years.
Who painted him? Henry Raeburn or Henri-Pierre Danloux? This video will look at the evidence uncovered by Art Historians Stephen Lloyd and Duncan Thomson.

[@marionbrennan7856]

24:03 Thank you so much for this insightful review. It was most informative and beautifully delivered. I had not heard of Henry Rayburn until today. I looked him up after reading an article in ‘The Guardian Weekly’ by Laura Cumming which gave suggestions about which artists to investigate in January 2024. You did a great job of keeping my attention with all the useful information you managed to pack in to your video clip. You should be rightly proud of yourself. Thanks again, Marion B. (I would give it to Henry!)

[@markdavies9797]

I have always loved this picture. Thanks for going into the history

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Thank you! Hope it wasn't too confusing x

[@markdavies9797]

I think it was probably Raeburn

[@emmadavies1107]

Another informative video. Lots to think about. Well done. So glad to see you posting again.

[@poesaste]

Yes, a new video!

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Hahah hope you enjoyed

[@keithkennedy-tyson8578]

fascinating. Thank you from Tasmania

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Thanks very much Keith! Glad you liked it

[@ArtHistorywithAlder]

Great video, packed with lots of info! Glad I found your channel :)

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Lovely to have you on board xx

[@taildraggingdog]

You're back! I hope all is well. Thank you for another interesting video.

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Thanks Robert, you too! I've been very busy with work and I'm also having a baby in August so it's been action packed getting our flat ready!

[@taildraggingdog]

@@arthistorygirl2327 That's great. I'm sure by the time your child is in school they will astound the teachers with their art history knowledge. :)

[@maxibluegremlin]

Good to see you!!!

[@arthistorygirl2327]

You too! I'm @georginadavies_ on twitter

[@Paul.Morgan]

Interesting. You've convinced me that it was by Raeburn! I've seen a few of his paintings with a similar style of background too.

[@ArtHistorywithAlder]

Also convinced of the same!

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Ooo really, that is interesting!! I think I sway more towards Danloux although even typing that I feel uneasy. Basically, I'm still unconvinced. 😂

[@tsjechovtolstoj496]

When first seeing The Skating Minister as an adolescent, I thought the picture represented Goethe in his later years. Quite silly of course, even though there is a similarity (not sure whether he liked skating though). Am glad to have learned something about the person actually portrayed here, and about the complicated history of the picture. Thank you! By the way: I think that the case for ascribing the picture to Raeburn is stronger than the case for ascribing it to Danloux, particularly since the picture remained in the Walker family for so long. The knowledge passed down directly through generations as to the painter of the picture is unlikely to have been unreliable here, I think, also because the Walker family initially didn't benefit at all from the fact that the painting was sold as a Raeburn. There was no clear financial gain in ascribing it to Raeburn at first.

[@arthistorygirl2327]

That's very interesting to hear your thoughts on it! Yes, I think the fact Raeburn was listed in Robert Walker's will is quite significant as well.

[@m.f.hopkins8728]

Good to see you back! And thank you for another art history lesson!

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Thanks very much! Hope you're well

[@Ritch98777]

Great video Georgina 👏

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Thank you :)

[@micametalgem3721]

Very nice mystery well told. Conan Doyle was Scottish: would his Sherlock Holmes be able to nail it? By the way, watching some of your videos has emphasized to me that a painting can tell and ask much more than a photo.

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Aww glad you liked it! It was a complicated story 🙃 ah yes he was! Hahah thanks

[@PaoloExDisorder2]

You're great a usual!

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Aww thank you! You're too kind

[@patrickw711]

Thank you for the interesting discussion of this work. I went back and forth but the painting of the Minister’s face and the way the background landscape was handled tipped me toward Raeburn being the artist. One possibility to explain the unusual aspects of the painting compared to the rest of his output is that Raeburn may have been influenced by seeing M. Danloux’s work (and perhaps had met him as well.) If he adopted the Frenchman’s painting techniques, this may explain the presence of craquelure. Further, if his client wanted an action portrait rather than a sitting portrait, M. Danloux’s work may have provided further inspiration to Raeburn. It doesn’t seem unusual to me that an artist at the beginning of his career to try techniques and compositions that he later discards in favor of others. I hope the artist didn’t consider Scotland’s most famous painting to be a failed experiment!

[@norbertpivarszki7083]

Missed you:)

[@arthistorygirl2327]

Thanks! Missed you too

[@maxibluegremlin]

What is your TWITTER NAME? 💙

[@jasonhumber5378]

Ok.... I thought this was going to be a funny video : (