John Workman (painter)

John Workman or Warkman (d. 1604) was a decorative painter working in Edinburgh.

He was a son of David Workman, who was himself an Edinburgh painter and burgess of the town, and Margaret Schortess.[1] There were several painters of the Workman family in Edinburgh. John Workman provided decorative painting, gilding, and heraldic work. There is no record of him making portraits.

John and other members of his family probably painted some of the Scottish Renaissance painted ceilings but documentary evidence is sparse. David Workman painted the "roof of the inner tolbuith .of the lordis and above the chymnay thairof" in November 1581 for the town coucil for 24 merks.[2]

Workman and his brother James painted and gilded several items for the Entry and coronation of Anne of Denmark in 1590, including; heraldry for the gates of Edinburgh, imitation stone work in the pends of the gates, decorating the mercat cross, the globe, tabards for actors in the drama, some of them pupils of Edinburgh high school, a bed at the Salt Tron, and a baton and rod for Hercules.[3]

James Workman's paintwork within the arches or pends of the gates was called "drawing of alschellar draughtis", the imitation of ashlar stonework.[4] William Fairlie paid James Workman to paint the six staffs used to carry the canopy above Anne of Denmark used during the Entry and Coronation.[5]

In 1592 John Workman was made a herald painter by privy seal letter.[6]

He painted items for the funeral of the Bonnie Earl of Moray, but not the famous portrait of the dead earl at Darnaway.[7] In March 1595 he painted a new loft for scholars in Trinity College Kirk with sundry colours of oil paints.[8]

He decorated a coach used by Anne of Denmark when she left for England in 1603 at the Union of the Crowns.[9]

John Workman died of plague on 31 October 1604.[10] His will includes a stock of colours for painting, with orpiment and azure.[11]