Portrait of Byres up for sale in Paris

A SCOTTISH portrait that has been unseen for generations is to be unveiled in Paris next month.

The recently discovered portrait is of the Scottish 18th century architect James Byres (1734-1817). Byres was born the son of Jacobite Patrick Byres of Tonley House at Tough, Aberdeenshire. He was taken to the Continent by his parents when they fled Scotland after the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

He studied painting in Rome and was elected to the city's artists' guild, the Accademia di San Luca, as an architect. From the 1760s he was also an antiquarian guide for those on the Grand Tour, including the historian Edward Gibbon.

The portrait, by Anton von Maron, features one of Byres' drawings in the foreground. It probably dates from 1768 when Byres was elected to the Royal Academy. It has never previously been exhibited and has passed through the family.

The dealers Bernheimer Colnaghi are showing the painting at the Grand Palais in Paris from 15 September. It is offered for sale at €510,000 (420,000).