Edinburgh - Barker, Robert
EDINBURGH
£1,800
Rare Books, Maps & Manuscripts
Auction: 4 September 2013 at 12:00 BST
Description
Panorama of Edinburgh from the Calton Hill. Edinburgh: John Wells, after Robert Barker, 1789-93, 3 (of 6) aquatint engraved plates, [seemingly plates 3-5 (although not numbered), each c.470x580mm, hand-coloured, framed and glazed, laid down, the first showing the view looking west towards Waverley Bridge, Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle (a couple of neat lines/repairs to upper corners), the second showing the view from Calton Hill stetching towards Leith (repair to upper left corner, small repair to lower left margin) and the third possibly a view down onto the top of Leith Walk, looking into Gayfield Square and Broughton (3)
Footnote
Note: Robert Barker (1739-1806) was an Irish portrait painter who moved to Edinburgh in the 1780s and is credited with inventing the word 'Panorama'. Indeed, in 1787, Barker patented the 'Panorama' as a form of art in its own right. Following a walk on Calton Hill, he decided to try and depict the entire 'panoramic' scene. This led to the opening of an exhibition in 1787, where a complete view of Edinburgh could be found painted inside a rotunda. The Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh University, writes: "...when viewed from the centre of the room, [this] gave the spectator the illusion of reality. Viewers were admitted via a spiral staircase to a central gallery. Special note was made that the viewer should not see the top or bottom of the painting to improve the illusion "of being on the very spot"."
Although Barker's original 'Panorama' has long since disappeared, engravings such as these survive to give some impression of the exhibition.
Information from the Talbot Rice Gallery at the University of Edinburgh Hyde, Ralph. Paronamania! Trefoil Publications in Association with Barbican Art Gallery, number 27