A lost portrait of Scotland's national poet has been uncovered, thanks to IASH Advisory Board member Dr William Zachs. Commissioned from the celebrated Henry Raeburn in 1803, the painting disappeared for over 200 years, until a house clearance sale at Wimbledon Auctions caught Dr Zachs' eye. Lot 100: Robert Burns in the manner of Raeburn piqued his interest as a collector of Burnsiana, and having taken advice from Duncan Thompson, retired director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and a Raeburn expert, he successfully bid for it.
Now authenticated as a genuine Raeburn, the portrait is currently on loan to the National Galleries Scotland on the Mound in Edinburgh, available to view for free just in time for Burns Night. It will then tour to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway from 21 July.
The full story is available on the website of Blackie House Library and Museum, and in this short film:
© Blackie House Library and Museum 2026
Dr Zachs, owner of the painting and Director of Blackie House Library and Museum, said:
This week at Burns Suppers in Scotland and around the world we toast the Immortal Memory of the poet. Now we have a new immortal visual memory – a once lost painting by Sir Henry Raeburn, the Scottish great portrait artist, that depicts Robert Burns not just as a genius poet but as a celebrated (and handsome) Scotsman whose significance would endure “till a’ the seas gang dry”.