19th c. Oil Portrait of a Scottish Woman

A compelling 19th-century oil on canvas portrait depicting a Scottish woman in historic dress with a distant marching army. The work reflects the 19th-century romantic revival of Jacobite history, capturing the era’s fascination with Scotland’s political past and legendary figures associated with the 1745 Rising.

The subject is believed to be associated with Margaret Fergusson Murray, a known Jacobite supporter and the wife of John Murray of Broughton. Period accounts describe her publicly encouraging enlistment at Edinburgh’s High Street during the proclamation of King James VIII, riding through crowds and distributing white cockades.  While no confirmed life portrait of Margaret Murray is known to survive, this painting should be understood as a later historicized interpretation inspired by those accounts rather than a documented likeness.

The composition is dramatic and atmospheric, with deep, moody tones and flashes of red animating the scene. The figure’s confident stance and unsheathed sword reinforce the narrative of resolve and political conviction that later generations associated with the Jacobite cause. The canvas shows extensive age-related craquelure throughout, consistent with its 19th-century origin. Light restoration has been carried out, with repairs most visible on the reverse.

Signed at the lower left, possibly “Charlet,” though attribution remains unconfirmed.

The painting is housed in an antique plaster-decorated wooden frame with original wear and scattered cosmetic losses. Structurally sound and visually striking, it makes a dramatic statement piece for a library, study, or layered salon wall.

Origin: Europe (likely British), 19th century
Material: Oil on canvas; plaster-decorated wooden frame
Dimensions: 18" H × 21 ½" W (overall)
Condition: Heavy craquelure throughout; light restoration with repairs visible primarily on the reverse; antique frame with cosmetic wear and losses consistent with age; structurally stable.