Artwork
Four Saints (St George, St Catherine, St Margaret and St Andrew) after designs by Alexander Christie and Silas Rice
Four Saints (St George, St Catherine, St Margaret and St Andrew) after designs by Alexander Christie and Silas Rice is an oil painting by Thomas Faed. It dates from 1848 and is held in the collection of the National Galleries Scotland.
About this work
Overview
Thomas Faed’s 1848 oil painting titled *Four Saints* depicts St George, St Catherine, St Margaret and St Andrew arranged in a linear composition. Each figure occupies an individual, vertically oriented frame adorned with decorative motifs, and the work is part of the Scottish National Gallery’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The quartet presents the saints in traditional attire, each holding an attribute—such as a sword or a book—that identifies their individual hagiographies. The careful rendering of facial expressions and garment folds conveys a solemn, reverent tone, emphasizing the devotional function of the piece.
Technique & Style
Faed employs a realistic approach, using precise brushwork to model the textures of fabric and metal. The backgrounds behind each frame are varied in pattern and hue, providing contrast that highlights the figures while maintaining a cohesive visual rhythm across the composition.
History & Provenance
The composition was executed after designs supplied by Alexander Christie and Silas Rice, collaborators who contributed the preparatory sketches. Since its creation, the painting has remained in Scotland, ultimately entering the holdings of the Scottish National Gallery, where it is displayed as part of the institution’s 19th‑century Scottish art collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Faed RSA (1825–1900) was a Scottish painter who is said to have done for Scottish art what Robert Burns did for Scottish song.
