Detail View: Museums:

Work Record ID: 
0041834
Title: 
Chillingham Bull by William Shiels (1785-1857)
Creator: 
Low, David (b.1786, d.1859)
Creator Name: 
Low, David
Creator Dates: 
b.1786, d.1859
Creator Role: 
Commissioned by
Summary Creator: 
David Low
Creator: 
Shiels, William (b.1783, d.1857)
Creator Name: 
Shiels, William
Creator Dates: 
b.1783, d.1857
Creator Role: 
Painter
Summary Creator: 
William Shiels
Date: 
Circa 1830-1839
Description: 
In 1790 Edinburgh instituted the first ever Chair of Agriculture. In the 1830s David Low, then professor and also director of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, commissioned 100 portraits of specific breeds. The aim was make as accurate a record as possible of contemporary breeds and, in particular, to encourage the preservation of breeds that were dying out. In today's terms, Low recognised the importance of keeping a 'gene pool' of hardy native animals. William Shiels, born in Berwickshire in 1785, was well known as a portrait and animal painter. Low sent him to paint all over Britain and he spent 8 years on the road. Cattle and horses are depicted at half size; sheep, goats, pigs and dogs, at full size. The surviving paintings are now divided between the National Museum of Scotland and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. They are fine paintings, but their purpose was primarily scientific, part of a process of description and classification that was essential to the successful breeding of improved livestock.
Work Type: 
Painting
Measurement: 
74 x 88cm (2' 5 1/8" x 2' 10 5/8")
Material: 
Canvas
Material: 
Oil Paint
Technique: 
Finger Painting/Painting techniques
Location: 
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
Repository: 
Object Lessons
Repro File Type: 
Cropped Tiff
Repro File Size (bytes): 
131639788
Repro Repository: 
Object Lessons
Repro Old ID Number: 
ol0030a
Repro Rights Statement: 
© The University of Edinburgh
Repro Capture Date: 
02/08/2003 13:19:00