Joy as Trust buys historic painting of Burntisland

Ahistoric painting will soon take pride of place in Burntisland’s Burgh Chambers after being secured by the town’s Heritage Trust.

Trustees say they are “delighted” to announce the acquisition of ‘Edinburgh from Burntisland’, an oil painting which is to be added to the town’s growing collection.

The painting, which was done by renowned Scottish landscape artist John Harvey Oswald (1851-1899), shows a sailing ship aground on the foreshore adjacent to the Black Rock with the Edinburgh skyline in the background.

It was painted in 1869 and was in the possession of a private seller, but the purchase was made possible by generous donations from private individuals, a grant from Burntisland Common Good Fund and the Burntisland Heritage Trust’s own funds.

The price tag has not been made public, but George Mclauchlan, trustee of the Burntisland

Heritage Trust, is pleased to have secured the artwork.

“We are thrilled to have added this delightful painting to our collection,” he said.

“It continues the Trust’s commitment to preserving the town’s heritage and follows on from last year’s major restoration of three historically important oilpaintings which hang in the Burgh Chambers.”

It is anticipated that the new acquisition, plus the three conserved and restored paintings, will form part of an exhibition in the Burgh Chambers once Covid lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Copies of the paintings will also be available to purchase.

John Harvey Oswald, who was based in Edinburgh, exhibited extensively, especially at the Royal Scottish Academy, and the vast majority of his output was oil paintings of Scottish locations.

‘Edinburgh from Burntisland’ will join three other important Burntisland paintings which were the subject of a restoration project after the Trust secured funding in 2019.

The Bridge of Life, The Magistrates Seat, and View of Burntisland from the Lammerlaws were all protected and conserved for the benefit of the community, visitors to the town and future generations, with work being done by the Egan, Matthews and Rose studio in Dundee.

“We

are thrilled to have added this delightful painting to our collection

SECURED: The painting of the foreshore at Black Rock by John Harvey Oswald.