The Spanish Beauty

John Philip 1817 -1857, was a Scottish painter born into a poor impoverished background but was identified for his artistic abilities and sponsored by Lord Panmure the Earl of Dalhousie. John Philip was known for his vibrantly coloured Spanish pictures which depicted attractive ladies within the composition as is shown here. He was known as Spanish Philip, a nickname which preceded him wherever he travelled. His enthusiasm for Spain came about as he was recommended to a warmer climate for his health, after 1851 he effectively adopted Spain as his second home and consequently produced a fair number of paintings from his travels there. In his early career his sponsor Panmure paid for his studying at the Royal Academy of Arts where he followed closely the career of another Scot David Wilkie, painting the subjects of fellow Scots in their local habitat, crofters and local gatherings, etc. , so influenced by the success of his own travels and development of his abilities he encouraged other painters from the UK to do the same. Wilkie travelled himself extensively throughout Italy and the Mediterranean, earlier than Philip's suggestion but the results were similar with increasing interest in their following and hence sales. John Philip's works appear rarely on the market and the quality of the works is variable, however this small delicate and very tastefully painted picture is typical of his best efforts, it appears from the ladies display that the sitter may have been familiar with the artist, it is clearly a very personal and fine work.