Robert Turnbull Macpherson
| Robert Turnbull Macpherson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
27 February 1814 Dalkeith, Scotland |
| Died | 17 November 1872 (aged 58) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation | Artist, photographer |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Gerardine Bate |
Robert Turnbull Macpherson (27 February 1814 – 17 November 1872) was a Scottish artist and photographer who worked in Rome, Italy, in the 19th century.
Robert Turnbull Macpherson was born on 27 February 1814 in Dalkeith, Scotland, outside the city of Edinburgh. Although family friend and author Margaret Oliphant described him as a close relative of Clan Macpherson chief Ewan Macpherson of Cluny and "the nearest male relative" of poet James Macpherson, his exact relations are ambiguous. Nothing is known of Macpherson's childhood until his study in medicine at the University of Edinburgh between 1831 and 1835. He apparently did not complete his medical studies, and subsequently studied art at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, where he exhibited portraits between 1835 and 1839. His only known surviving work from this period is Templar Knight at Roslin Chapel[1], an oil painting dated 1836. In 1840 he left Scotland for Rome, Italy.
During his initial years in Rome, Macpherson continued to practice as a painter. While records exist of several works between 1840 and 1845, only one is known to survive from Macpherson's time in Rome—a large oil painting of the Roman Campagna, dated 1842.
In addition to painting, he worked as an art dealer. His most notable acquisition was a large, dark panel which he purchased in 1846. After cleaning the piece, it was identified as The Entombment of Christ, an unfinished work by Michelangelo. Macpherson smuggled the painting out of Rome, and in 1868 sold it to the National Gallery in London for £2000.
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