Ramsay, Allan (1713-1784), was a Scottish portrait painter whose best portraits are of women and notable aristocrats and intellectuals of his day. During the mid-1700’s, Ramsay was the leading portrait painter in Britain and helped establish a national school of portraiture. Ramsay’s style was known for its subtlety and delicacy. He corresponded with famous writers of the day, including the French authors Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire. Ramsay was known for his witty conversation and wrote books and pamphlets on artistic, literary, and political topics. Ramsay’s best-known book was Dialogue on Taste (1755).
Ramsay was born on Oct. 2, 1713, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the eldest son of the poet of the same name. After studying art in Edinburgh and London, he studied and painted in Italy from 1736 to 1738, then settled in London. Ramsay became portraitist to King George III in 1761. Ramsay retired from painting in 1773 after a fall crippled his right arm. He died on Aug. 10, 1784.
