Reverend Monro Wilson

John Pettie was a Scottish Victorian painter who specialized in historical and literary subjects — his paintings from Scottish history and from the works of Sir Walter Scott were among the most admired of their kind in the Victorian era. His 'Reverend Monro Wilson' (1886) is a portrait commission that shows the breadth of his practice beyond historical subjects — the portrait of a Scottish clergyman connecting him to the tradition of clerical portraiture that had been a significant element of Scottish painting from the seventeenth century.

Pettie renders the Reverend Wilson with the directness and psychological observation of his best portrait work — the clergyman's specific features and bearing depicted with the combination of professional dignity and individual character that distinguished his portraiture from more formulaic approaches. His handling of the clerical dress and the formal portrait conventions reflects his technical command, and his psychological engagement gives the portrait its living quality.