Works by Queen Victoria’s favourite artist to go on show in Dunfermline

A sketch of Queen Victoria and her family in mourning after the death of Prince Albert is among works by a Scottish artist in an exhibition in his home city of Dunfermline later this month.

Joseph Noel Paton: An Artist’s Life is a rare retrospective dedicated to one of the leading artists of the Victorian era, and features a number of his royal commissions, alongside paintings showcasing his naturalistic style.

The exhibition at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries also includes notebooks, personal objects and letters the artist received from such luminaries as Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll, and Queen Victoria’s private secretary.

The Dunfermline-born artist was hugely popular during his lifetime, with barriers often needed to keep crowds in check when his work went on display.

He was also said to have been Queen Victoria’s favourite artist, and she is reported to have remarked that Paton painted “such beautiful pictures”.

It was the Queen herself who in 1862 invited him to Windsor Castle to produce the sketch of her and her nine children gathered around a marble bust of Prince Albert, just months after Albert’s death in December 1861.

The artist’s wife Maggie and children Diarmid, Mona, Freddy and baby Victor all accompanied him when he travelled to Windsor to undertake the commission.

The sketch had been intended as a preparatory drawing for a painting entitled In Memoriam, but Paton had to return home after he contracted influenza during his stay, and the painting was never completed.

For exhibition curator Lesley-Anne Lettice, the fact Paton was invited into Victoria’s inner circle during this time revealed a lot about the esteem in which he was held.

“Being invited to Windsor so early in the Queen’s mourning period shows how highly Noel Paton was regarded – he was one of very few non-family members allowed into her inner circle at that time,” she said.

“The exhibition is a celebration of a long life, well lived. Paton’s vibrant paintings and intricate drawings are a testament to his talent and reflect the many interests of this fascinating man.”

Paton first attracted the royal family’s attention in 1847, when Prince Albert saw his celebrated painting The Reconciliation of Oberon and Titania as it won a prize during a competition to decorate the new Houses of Parliament.

A painting called Home! Return from the Crimea then impressed Queen Victoria so much when it was exhibited at London’s Royal Academy in 1856 that she asked him to paint a smaller version as a gift for her husband.

A number of royal commissions followed, with many featuring in this exhibition.

Among them another drawing, this time in pen and ink, of the royal family in the wake of Albert’s death, a prototype for one of the panels he painted in Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, and an edition of Shakespeare’s plays containing his illustrations.

Visitors will also be able to see the certificate and seal Paton received on becoming the Queen’s Limner in Scotland – the art equivalent of the poet laureate – in 1866.

The other paintings on display include work inspired by biblical scenes, classical mythology and Scots folklore, giving visitors the opportunity to appreciate Paton’s naturalistic style, which drew inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelite art movement.

Altogether the exhibition features works from eight different public collections, including the National Galleries of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy and Glasgow Museums, as well as many private loans.

The exhibition Joseph Noel Paton – An Artist’s Life runs from September 14 to February 9 2025 at Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries.

Admission is free.