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Lot Essay
The present watercolour is thought to have been executed in 1785, as a companion piece to The Repentence Stool, a watercolour executed the previous year. The drawing is probably that originally recorded as being in the Blunt Collection (see T.Crouther Gordon op. cit. p. 40). A chalk drawing of the same composition is on loan to the National Gallery of Scotland from the Dunimarle Collection (see exh., The Draughtsman's Art , 1999, cat. p. 146, under no. 68), a copy was made by Allan in 1794 for Alexander Gordon of Stirling and a possible additional version dated 1795 was at Christie's London, 18 June 1980.
The watercolour illustrates amusing and illuminating details of the religious life in Scotland at the end of the 18th century. The scene depicts a minister questioning individual members of the congregation on the points of the faith and is thought to be set in the Abbey of Dunfermline.
Allan would make a number of versions of his major genre subjects when commissioned with minor differences in the composition. The present drawing shows the 'cutty' stool in use in Church, something not included in the chalk drawing.
A reproduction of the present watercolour can be seen in the Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
The watercolour illustrates amusing and illuminating details of the religious life in Scotland at the end of the 18th century. The scene depicts a minister questioning individual members of the congregation on the points of the faith and is thought to be set in the Abbey of Dunfermline.
Allan would make a number of versions of his major genre subjects when commissioned with minor differences in the composition. The present drawing shows the 'cutty' stool in use in Church, something not included in the chalk drawing.
A reproduction of the present watercolour can be seen in the Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.