Mather, George Marshall (McKechnie Section 2)

Recorded by Woodiwiss (who owned an example of his work signed ‘G. M. Mather’) and by Foskett. Mather probably worked more as a portrait miniaturist than as a silhouette artist. He worked in Edinburgh. The contemporary Edinburgh and Leith Directories describe him as ‘Miniature Painter and Drawing Master’, and list him as such over a period of thirty-four years, 1824-57, at the following addresses (in the order in which he used them): 20 George Street, 1 George Street, 22 Hanover Street, 37 George Street, 72 Princes Street, North Hanover Street.

A sale of portrait miniatures at Christie, Manson and Woods, London, on 28 October 1970, included the following item: ‘An officer, by George Marshall Mather, signed and dated 1832, in the blue uniform of a Royal Regiment with crimson and blue belt: rectangular, 31/4 in. (82 mm) high, in fitted leather case.’ The rectangular format was much used by painters of portrait miniatures on ivory at this date, when, in Edinburgh, Mather would have been a contemporary of James Howie (q.v.) and of George Bruce (see Section Four), who worked as a miniature and profile painter in the same city as late as 1847.

Foskett describes three miniatures by Mather sold at the same auction house on 28 May 1968. These were all painted at 72 Princes Street, and the dates were 1832 and 1833. Two are illustrated by Foskett.

Unsigned examples of Mather's silhouettes would be hard to identify, as not much of his work has so far been isolated. The example formerly owned by Woodiwiss (illustrated) is a full-length black profile of Lord Cockburn (1779-1854), the Scottish judge and author of Memorials of his Times. This was taken perhaps in c. 1840. The figure is set against a painted background of the Pentland Hills. A large plaid conceals much of Cockburn's apparently bulky figure. The detail is well painted. I have also seen a signed bust-length profile of a man by Mather, one of nine profiles (of mixed provenance) of a Scottish family. This example was painted in dark-grey on card, with the collar and hair in dead-black. The bust-line finish was conventional. None of the other profiles bore the artist's name, but one was similar to the signed example.

It is possible that a family group silhouette (sold at Sotheby and Company, London, on 7 February 1966) of Lord Dundas, his wife, and three children, signed ‘G. M.’ and dated 1799, was by Mather, although the date is somewhat early for him.

The profile of Lord Cockburn is signed ‘G. M. Mather’ on the front. The other example which I have seen bore on the back what seemed to be the remnants of a trade label (no text remained, also the words ‘By G. M. Mather’ were written in pencil).

Typical signatures on portrait miniatures are ‘George Marshall Mather/72, Princes St./Edinr/1832’, and simply ‘Mather, 1832’.

Ill. 887