MARTIN, David
(b. 1737, Anstruther, Fife, d. 1798, Edinburgh)

Portrait of James Macpherson

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Oil on canvas, 76 x 64 cm
Private collection

A Scottish poet, writer and politician, James Macpherson (1736-1796) is best known as the 'translator' of the Ossian cycle, published in 1761 under the title Fingal, an Ancient Epic Poem in Six Books, a work that, despite its dubious origin, is credited with doing more to bring about the romantic movement in Europe than any other.