JANIESONE, GF.ORGE, called by Walpole the Vandyck of Scotland, was the eon of Andrew Jameson e, an architect, and was born at Aberdeen in 15S6. Jameson and Vandyck were about 1616 fellow-pupils of ltubens at Antwerp. When Charles I. visited Edinburgh in 1633, he at to Jamesone, and presented him with a diamond ring from his own finger. His career is not exactly known, but it most have been a successful one, for be left his wife and family well provided for at his death in 1644 ; and he bequeathed also much in other directions. He was probably in Italy, for his portrait is in the painter's portrait gallery at Florence; he travelled in company with Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy, Many of the considerable families of Scotland possess portraits by Jamesone, but the greatest collection is at Taymouth, the seat of the Marquis oillreadalbane. Sir Colin Campbell, the marquis's ancestor, was Jamesoue's first and chief patron. In a manuscript con taining the genealogy of the house of Glenorchy, there Is mention of several portraits painted by Jamesone for Sir Colin, with memoranda of the prices paid. For portraits of the kings David and Robert Bruce, Charles 1. and his queen, and for nine queens of Scotland, painted In 1635, Jamesono received only 260 Scotch pounds, or 20 pounds per portrait, which is equal to 11. 13s. 4d. sterling; the Scotch pound being twenty pence. All other portraits painted for Sir Colin, which were nutoy, were paid for at the same rate. There are several of Jamesone's pictures also in the two colleges of Aberdeen. A portrait of Jameson° by himself Is at Cullen House. He appears to have often painted his own portrait, and he always painted himself with his hat on, which he may have done either in imitation of ltubens, or on having been granted that privilege by Charles I. when he sat to him.
Though the pupil of Ruben. and the companion of Vandyck, Jamesone's works have neither the fulnees nor richness of the former, nor the vigour of the latter. They are painted very thinly, yet with much nature but there is a sharpness in his outline which reminds of a very different school from that of Rubens. "His excellence," says Walpole, "is said to consist in delicacy and softness, with a clear and beautiful colouring, his shades not charged but helped by varnish (glazing 1), with little appearance of the pencil." Jamesone's earliest works are painted on panel ; be used afterwards fine canvas, smoothly primed, and prepared in a shade tint.. He painted occasionally history, miniature, and landscape. Walpole mentions a view of Edinburgh by him.
Cunningham has ascribed to Jameson° the illuminations of a manu script of two hundred leaves of parchment, illustrating the Life of Christ, which belonged to Jamesone, and which he valued at 2001. sterling. Jamesone himself describes it as a manuscript in his posses sion "containing two hundred leaves of parchment of excellent write adorned with diverse histories of our Saviour curiously limned." This memorandum was in the possession of hia descendant, Mr. John Jatneaone, a wine merchant of Leith, from whom Walpole (or rather Vertue) obtained the particulars of his account of Jamesone. It is not known what has become of this manuscript.
Cunningham speaks of Jameson° as without a native rival in Great Britain ; he appears to have overlooked Dobson, some of whose heads not only approach but equal Vandyck's. Jamesone's daughter Mary excelled in embroidery, iu textile paiutiuga; some of her works are still preserved in the church of St. Nicolas, at Aberdeen.