Beschreibung:

japanned and gilt-painted wood, mirrored glass, possibly later, with later 19th-century cresting and feet, stamped to rear of frame and backplate VI, bears printed label ...The last criminal beheaded in England was Lord Lovat, who was executed on Tower Hill, April 19th, 1747 and with a hand-written label inscribed Lord Lovat's dressing glass./ To think of him looking into it, and admiring himself! The old Wretch!/ H. A. N (?).; together with a FRAMED CARTOON of Lord Lovat, after William Hogarth 14.5cm x 10cm (Qty: 2) Provenance: Property from Tornaveen House, Aberdeenshire Note: Simon Fraser, 11th Lord Lovat (c.1667-1747), nicknamed 'the Fox', was a Scottish Jacobite and Chief of Clan Fraser of Lovat, known for his feuding and changes of allegiance. In 1715, he had been a supporter of the House of Hanover, but in 1745 he changed sides and supported the Stuart claim on the crown of the United Kingdom. Lovat was among the Highlanders defeated at the Battle of Culloden and convicted of treason against the Crown, following which he was sentenced to death and subsequently beheaded. The land at Tornaveen was bought in 1670 and has been in the Fraser family ever since. An influential family of Aberdeenshire, it is their link throughout history to the Jacobite cause that has encouraged an accumulation of interesting finds and the collection presented here offers a small glimpse into that. The items we are delighted to have on offer are by direct descent and have been in situ at Tonarveen House. A key member of the family is Flora Beatrice Mary Dedombal Flora Macdonald 1859-1938 who married Francis Fraser in 1881 and came to be known as Tornaveen. Her father Captain John Henderson MacDonald (1819- 1894) was of the 78th Highlanders, of Caskieben who added to his name, Macdonald to reflect that of his mother’s maiden name, Alexia Macdonald, a descended of Flora MacDonald. Flora MacDonald the heroine of the Jacobite cause, met Bonnie Prince Charlie when he arrived on the island of South Uist where he met a 24-year-old Flora. An unlikely ally, it has been suggested Flora helped the exile due to her kind nature and that of the safety of her own family. They travelled from Uist to the mainland, accompanied by two servants and a crew of six boatmen. The Prince was disguised as Betty Burke, an Irish spinning maid. They set sail in a small boat from Benbecula in 1746, to Skye. After hiding overnight in a cottage, once safe the Prince was able to get a boat to the island of Raasay from Portree and from there, passage back to France. Charles is said to have presented Flora with a locket containing his portrait. They never met again. Charles died in Rome on 31 January 1788. The family relation sparked great interest in John Henderson Macdonald and he had a keen interest in his Jacobite heritage, with a great deal of correspondence exploring his connections to the Macdonalds of South Uist. Alongside the family collection of Jacobite works of art, he bequeathed £1000 for the building of a statue to Flora Macdonald at Inverness. Newspaper reports of the unveiling in 1899 by his daughter Mrs Fraser the great grandmother of the present resident at Tornaveen.