The Marriage of St Margaret and King Malcolm of Scotland

The Scottish artist Alexander Runciman (1736-1785) was born in Edinburgh and received the first part of his artistic training at the Foulis Academy in Glasgow. He later studied in Italy with his younger brother John, an artist of great promise who died of consumption whilst abroad. Alexander worked largely as a painter of romantic landscapes and historical scenes, and was responsible for several mural paintings in and around Edinburgh. He was an important figure in the education of artists, becoming master of the Trustees' Academy, the forerunner of the Edinburgh School of Art. And, most relevant here, he was a major exponent of original etching.

The marriage of St Margaret and King Malcolm of Scotland is one of two etchings that relate to Runciman's paintings on the ceiling of a staircase in Penicuik House, near Midlothian, commissioned by Sir James Clerk, completed in 1772 but sadly destroyed in a fire of 1899. The accompanying etching, not in Te Papa's collection, is St Margaret landing in Scotland. They both relate to St Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and Malcolm III, in the events following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. England and Scotland were symbolically joined in this marriage, in defiance of William the Conqueror. The theme reflects Clerk's passion for Scottish history; significantly, his father Sir John Clerk authored the book History of the Union of Scotland and England (1717).

Sources:

Catherine Ingersoll, 'Medieval Margaret, Enlightenment Edinburgh: Alexander Runciman's Etchings of St Margaret of Scotland', ASECS, Vancouver, 2011.

National Galleries Scotland, 'Alexander Runciman...', https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/alexander-runciman

Dr Mark Stocker   Curator, Historical International Art    April 2019