Provost Skene's House
When entering the original banqueting room of Provost Skene’s House, visitors are drawn immediately to a stunning ornate gold frame hung prominently above a marble and mahogany fireplace.
The frame holds a magnificent oil on canvas portrait of Sir George Skene who resided in the house between the 1669 and 1694. The painting – which shows Skene resplendent in regal robes - commemorates him being Knighted in Edinburgh in 1681 by the then Duke of York, who later became King James VII.
Portrait of Provost George Skene by John Baptist Medina (Aberdeen City Council)
Many gaze upon the portrait and remark on Skene’s handsomeness or his look of superiority as he looks down from his high perch on the wall. Others remark how beautifully painted he appears but very few ask about the artist Skene commissioned to paint his likeness.
John Baptist Medina, self-portrait, about 1698, courtesy National Galleries Scotland
John Baptist Medina (1659-1710) was born in Brussels, the son of a Spanish army captain. He trained under the Flemish portrait painter Francois Duchatel. He moved to London and set up a studio in Drury Lane in 1686, where many of his sitters were members of the Scottish aristocracy. In 1688 Medina became the first illustrator of Paradise Lost by John Milton.
Medina moved to Edinburgh at the invitation of David Leslie, 3rd Earl of Leven. He had a distinct, informal baroque style which he used to capture the likenesses of members of Scottish society, including Sir George Skene. We can assume that Skene visited Medina’s studio and commissioned this portrait.
Medina charged £5 for a head portrait and £10 for half-length portraits. George Skene’s ten-pound portrait would be equal to him paying £1,811.86 in today’s monies. I would say George got a bargain!
Medina was knighted in 1706 - one of the last Scottish Knights created before the 1707 Act of Union. He passed away in Edinburgh aged 51 in 1710. He is buried in Greyfriars’s Kirk.
His legacy however lives on in Provost Skene’s House where visitors can gaze upon the portrait of George and wonder at the man who was brought to life under Medina’s keen eye and masterful brushwork.
