George Watson PPRSA, Scottish 1767-1837- Portrait of Janet (Jessie) Ruskin, seated half-length turned to the left in a white dress with a landscape beyond, c. 1805; oil on canvas, 78.5x63cm Note: Thought to depict John Ruskin's aunt, Janet Ruskin (1783-1828), the present portrait is likely to have been executed around a similar time to Watson's portrait of John James Ruskin; the brother to the sitter and father to John Ruskin, held by The Brantwood Trust, Coniston. The siblings were probably based in Edinburgh with their parents at the time. Watson was initially based in Edinburgh where he was introduced to Alexander Nasmyth, however at 18 years old he decided to relocate to London where he was received as a pupil of Sir Joshua Reynolds. After 2 informative years in Reynold's studio he returned to Edinburgh and established himself as a portrait painter by the end of the 1780s. Watson was 11 years younger than his fellow Scottish rival, Sir Henry Raeburn, and would often follow his style in portraits. Although successful he never gained the same support and popularity as his older rival Raeburn, but he would eventually go onto be one of the founding members of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1826 and its first president. We are grateful to Dr Stephen Lloyd for proposing the attribution to George Watson, based on photographs only. Please refer to department for condition report