Michael McVeigh - Royal Highland Show, Ingliston

Michael McVeigh - Royal Highland Show, Ingliston, 1987

A wonderfully detailed colour lithograph by the Scottish artist Michael McVeigh (b.1957), depicting the heavy-horse section of the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston. Signed and titled within the image, dated 1987 and numbered 3/26 from a small limited edition.

The bustling composition is filled with magnificent working horses, handlers, spectators, children and agricultural vehicles. McVeigh compresses the activity into a densely layered scene, with the monumental horses dominating the foreground while numerous smaller narrative details reward closer inspection. Particularly charming is the small black dog standing among the handlers near the centre of the composition.

Born in Dundee, McVeigh studied Drawing and Painting at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art before settling in Edinburgh. He is particularly known for his highly individual depictions of Scottish life, including crowded streets, harbours, public gatherings, musicians and animals. His work combines close observation with deliberately distorted perspective, giving familiar subjects an imaginative and gently humorous character.

The Royal Highland Show has been held at Ingliston, near Edinburgh, since 1960 and remains one of Scotland’s most important agricultural events. McVeigh’s lithograph captures the distinctive mixture of livestock, machinery and human activity associated with the show, while retaining the warmth and eccentricity characteristic of his work.

Printed in a restrained palette of earthy browns, ochres, muted greens and soft reds, the composition has an atmospheric, almost remembered quality. The fine crayon-like lines and layered tonal textures are particularly well suited to the lithographic medium.

An impression of this composition is held in the collection of the City of Edinburgh Museums and Galleries.

Presented under glass in a dark wooden frame with a wide cream mount.

A substantial and highly engaging Scottish print, combining agricultural and social history with McVeigh’s distinctive narrative style.

Artist: Michael McVeigh
Title: Royal Highland Show, Ingliston
Date: 1987
Medium: Colour lithograph
Edition: 3/26
Signed: Signed and titled within the image
Image size: 44.5cm x 64cm
Framed size: 71.5cm x 79cm
Condition: Good vintage condition overall. Some scattered age-related spotting and light discolouration are visible to the sheet and mount. Minor marks and wear to the wooden frame. Glazed and not examined out of the frame.