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Roslin Chapel, near Edinburgh, showing the 'Prentice Pillar'
George Shepherd - Enlarge image
Roslin Chapel, near Edinburgh, showing the 'Prentice Pillar'
- Object:
Watercolour
- Place of origin:
Edinburgh, Scotland (made)
- Date:
1809 (painted)
- Artist/Maker:
George Shepherd (artist)
- Materials and Techniques:
Watercolour
- Museum number:
3031-1876
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, room WS, case R, shelf 32, box R
Physical description
Roslin Chapel, famous for its sculpture and elaborate decorative carving, was founded in 1446. But the , admittedly unlikely, legend of the 'Prentice Pillar' ensured further celebrity. The unusual design of the pillar, four strips of foliage spiralling upwards from a base of entwined serpents, is supposed to have been planned and executed by a young apprentice while the master mason was absent; on his return, he murdered his pupil as a punishment for his presumption. For his composition, Shepherd used a meticulously measured drawing by the architect J.M.Gandy, who exhibited two such drawings of Roslin in 1807 and 1809.
Place of Origin
Edinburgh, Scotland (made)
Date
1809 (painted)
Artist/maker
George Shepherd (artist)
Materials and Techniques
Watercolour
Dimensions
Height: 59 cm framed, Width: 79.5 cm framed
Subjects depicted
Interior view; Architectural Elements, Pillar, Arch; Church, Chapel
Categories
Architecture; Religion; Interiors
Collection code
PDP
