"Self Portrait" by Henry Stacy Marks R.A., R.W.S., H.R.C.A. (1829-1898)

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Self Portrait

Henry Stacy Marks R.A., R.W.S., H.R.C.A. (1829-1898)

1882

Oil on canvas

13 5/8 x 11 3/4 inches (34.5 x 29.7 cm)

Collection: Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums, accession no. ABDAG004366

Bequeathed by Alexander Macdonald, 1901

See below for commentary about Marks's character.

Image download, commentary and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee, with additional material by Dennis T. Lanigan. [Click on the image to enlarge it, and mouse over the text for links.]

Kindly made available, via Art UK, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence (CC BY-NC).

This was one of a series of portraits of artists commissioned by Alexander Macdonald of Aberdeen, all painted to a standard size. Other self-portraits included J. E. Hodgson, G. D. Leslie and W. F. Yeames, whilst P. H. Calderon's portrait was executed by George Reid.

In his obituary of Marks, Leslie pays tribute to his friend "Marco" for his warm-heartedness and hard work. He calls him "a most delightful companion," saying that "no one could be more gay and playful on a holiday; no one more sympathetic and kind." Leslie notes that not a single one of the portraits of him shows him smiling (and this self-portrait is no exception), yet "[t]here was no self-assertion in his manner; he was a good talker and a good listener, always ready and glad to obtain information from those able to afford it, paying the utmost deference to the aged, and winning the hearts of children by numerous little tricks and devices." Leslie continues,

It was the simplicity and manly sincerity of Marco's personal character that gained him the hearts of so many friends; it was for these qualities that John Ruskin loved him so well. Marco was always welcome in the studios of his friends; for they trusted him, and his advice was ever sound and wholesome. Marco had quite his share of this world's troubles, but he never aired his grievances in the presence of his friends. He was heroic in his endurance, his one and never-failing solace and comfort being hard work. No more fitting motto for Marco's gravestone could be found than — Laborare est Orare [To work is to pray]. [242]

Bibliography

Leslie, George D. "'In Memoriam': HENRY STACY MARKS, R.A.: born Sept. 13, 1829: died Jan. 9, 1898." Magazine of Art Vol. 22 (1898). 237-42. Internet Archive (Open Court Publishing Co.). Web. 23 October 2023.

Morris, Edward and Frank Milner. "And When Did You Last See Your Father?": The Painting, Its Background and Fame. Liverpool: National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, 1999.

Self Portrait. Art UK. Web. 23 October 2023.

Created 23 October 2023