Patrick Syme | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1774-09-17)17 September 1774 |
| Died | 25 July 1845(1845-07-25) (aged 70) |
| Relatives | John Syme, nephew |
Patrick Syme (17 September 1774 – 25 July 1845) was a Scottish flower-painter.[1][2]
Life
Syme was born in Edinburgh on 17 September 1774, and educated there. In the Scottish public exhibitions, which began in 1808, his flower-pieces were much admired.[3]
In 1803 Syme took up his brother's practice as a drawing-master, and concentrated on teaching. He was one of the associate artist members of the Royal Institution. He was also prominent in the foundation of the Royal Scottish Academy, occupying the chair at the first meeting in May 1826, and becoming one of the council of four appointed there to manage its affairs.[3]
Towards the end of his life Syme was art master at Dollar Academy. He died at Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in July 1845.[3] He is buried in the parish churchyard the grave lying in the upper north-west section.[citation needed]
Works
If best known as a flower-painter, Syme painted portraits and made technical drawings for natural history publications.[3] He authored three publications:
- Practical Directions for Learning Flower Drawing (1810)
- A translation of Abraham Gottlob Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (1814)
- Treatise on British Song Birds (1823)
His most famous work was Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (1814), which was influential among nineteenth-century naturalists. Charles Darwin took a copy on the HMS Beagle and used it throughout the voyage to describe the colours of natural history specimens in his notes.[4]
Family
Syme married Elizabeth Boswell of Balmuto daughter of Claud Irvine Boswell, Lord Balmuto, the judge. She had been his pupil since about 1810, the couple eloped in 1822, and her family's disapproval of the match was permanent. John Thomas Irvine Boswell the botanist was their son.[5][6]
References
- ^ The Dictionary of Scottish Painters. 1600 to the present. Paul Harris and Julian Halsby. Canongate Publishing. 1990.
- ^ Dictionary of Scottish Art and Architecture. Peter J. M. McEwan. Antique Collectors Club. 1994.
- ^ a b c d Lee, Sidney, ed. (1898). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 55. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ Dixon, Joyce (26 November 2025). "Capturing colour on HMS Beagle: Charles Darwin and Werner's Nomenclature of Colours (1821)". The British Journal for the History of Science: 1–24. doi:10.1017/S0007087425101726. ISSN 0007-0874.
- ^ Dixon, Lucy. "Syme, Patrick". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26879. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Mallalieu, H. L. (1986). The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920. Antique Collectors' Club. p. 329. ISBN 1-85149-025-6.
External links
- Patrick Syme at the Scottish National Gallery
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1898). "Syme, Patrick". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 55. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
