Oscar Bringing Back Annir’s Daughter
- Artist: Charles Reuben Ryley
- Date: 1785
- Medium: Oil paint on canvas
- Dimensions: support: 314 x 412 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the painting *Oscar Bringing Back Annir’s Daughter* by Charles Reuben Ryley. It was painted in 1785 as an oil on canvas and measures just over 30 by 40 cm, so it fits comfortably in a small frame. Ryley was drawn to the dramatic story taken from James Macpherson’s 1765 “Works of Ossian.” The scene shows the heroic warrior Oscar, his tunic bright red, emerging from a rugged cave landscape, his arm raised in triumph. He stands beside the aged King Annir, who leans like a trunk of oak, and their daughter—young, almost trembling—holds her mother’s hand, her face alight with relief.
The composition is full of action and gesture: Oscar’s soldier, garlanded with oak leaves, signals victory; the king’s posture conveys stoic pride; the daughter’s posture reflects the moment of reunion. Ryley gives the setting a rocky, almost cavernous feel, hinting at the wildness of the tale’s geography. It’s a striking example of how 18th‑century painters turned the romantic myth of Ossian into dramatic, narrative scenes that captured the era’s fascination with heroism, family, and the uncertain authenticity of those ancient stories.
See it in person
Oscar Bringing Back Annir’s Daughter is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
