Benjamin West: The Death of the Stag (1786)

(Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland)

A painting by the Anglo-American artist Benjamin West (1738-1820). This dramatic painting shows a legend regarding Colin Fitzgerald, the first chieftain of the Scottish Clan Mackenzie. According to the story king Alexander III of Scotland (1241-1286) was attacked by a stag during a hunt but was saved by the actions of Colin Fitzgerald. Francis Humberston Mackenzie, chieftain of the Mackenzie Clan, commissioned this painting to commemorate his illustrious ancestor. Painting from 1786.