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David Allan (February 13, 1744 - August 6, 1796)
was a Scotland|Scottish painter, best known for
historical subjects.

He was born at Alloa, Scotland.  On leaving
Foulis's academy of painting at Glasgow (1762),
after seven years' successful study, he obtained
the patronage of Lord Cathcart and of Erskine of
Mar, on whose estate he had been born. Erskine
made it possible for him to travel to Rome (1764),
where he remained for several years engaged
principally in copying the old masters.

Among the original works which he then painted was
the "Origin of Portraiture", now in the National
Gallery at Edinburgh--representing a
Corinth|Corinthian maid drawing her lover's
shadow--well known through Domenico Cunego's
excellent engraving. This won him the gold medal
given by the Academy of St Luke in the year 1773
for the best specimen of historical composition.

Returning from Rome in 1777, he lived for a time
in London, and occupied himself with
portrait-painting. In 1780 he removed to
Edinburgh, where, on the death of Alexander
Runciman in 1786, he was appointed director and
master of the Academy of Arts. There he painted
and etched in aquatint a variety of works, those
by which he is best known--such as "Scotch
Wedding", "Highland Dance", "Repentance Stool" and
his "Illustrations of the Gentle Shepherd"--being
remarkable for their comic humour. He was
sometimes called the "Scottish William
Hogarth|Hogarth".

This entry was originally from the 1911
Encyclopedia Britannica.