WILLIAM

See also:

• WILLIAM AIKMAN (1682-1731)

AIKMAN (1682-1731)  , British portrait-painter, was born at Cairney, Forfarshire . He was intended by his father for the bar, but followed his natural bent by becoming a pupil under Sir John Medina, the leading painter of the day in Scotland . In 1707 he went to Italy, resided in Rome for three years, after-wards travelled to Constantinople and Smyrna, and in 1712 returned home . In Edinburgh, where he practised as a portrait-painter for some years, he enjoyed the patronage of the duke of Argyll; and on his removal to London in 1723 he soon obtained many important commissions . Perhaps his most successful work was the portrait of the poet Gay . He also painted portraits of himself, Fletcher of Saltoun, William Carstares and Thomson the poet . The likenesses were generally truthful and the style was modelled very closely upon that of Sir Godfrey Kneller . Aikman held a good position in literary society and counted among his personal friends Swift, Pope, Thomson, Allan Ramsay, Somervile and Mallet .