24/01/2026
A lost portrait of Scotland’s national bard Robert Burns by Sir Henry Raeburn has been discovered. This blog follows the remarkable twists and turns in the 136-year-long search for the elusive painting.
Proof of a lost portrait – the search begins
Robert Burns (1759–1796) is conspicuously absent from the long list of prestigious sitters to Sir Henry Raeburn (1756–1823). Raeburn was Scotland’s foremost portrait painter in the late 1700s–early 1800s.
William Zachs, Director of the BHLM, narrates the story of a great Scottish painting - a portrait of Robert Burns by Sir Henry Raeburn that had been lost for...
