Portrait of James Macpherson
by MARTIN, David, Oil on canvas, 76 x 64 cm
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.