Military view set to please troops at fine art event

A MONUMENTAL military painting by one of Scotland's best-loved artists is expected to fetch up to £30,000 at an auction in the Capital.

The Scottish Volunteer Review, Edinburgh 1905, was created by Robert Gemmell Hutchison as a celebration of the country's military heritage.

Around 40,000 regular and volunteer troops can be seen parading for Edward VII in Holyrood Park, which was called King's Park at the time, from the vantage point of Arthur's Seat.

The painting, which is a tribute to both Hutchison's home city of Edinburgh and to the massed ranks of the Scottish Regiments, will be auctioned at Bonhams' fine picture sale in the Capital on December 7.

At more than five feet wide, the painting is expected to fetch between 20,000 and 30,000 at the auction on Queen Street.

It is being sold by a private collector from Suffolk, who bought the painting from the Fine Art Society in London in 1973. Head of Paintings at Bonhams Edinburgh, Chris Brickley, said: "It is an iconic view of Edinburgh, showing Holyrood Park, Calton Hill and the castle, all from the vantage point of Arthur's Seat."