Runciman, Alexander (1736 – 1785) – Figure Figure in Classical Dress.

Runciman trained with the Norie family in Edinburgh and his early works are landscapes. He travelled to Rome in 1767 where he acquired his ambition to be a History painter. This work dates from after his return in 1772 and is very close to another drawing of a dancing figure dated 1778 in the National Gallery of Scotland (D 5330 A.8). The elegance and poise of this figure is brilliantly contrasted by the humorous sketches of a large nosed profile in the margin.