Introduction
James Orrock RI (1829 – 10 May 1913), was a prominent Scottish collector of art and oriental ceramics, illustrator and landscape watercolourist. Today, he is also considered as the main source of forgeries from the later 19th century, associated with copies of the works of John Constable.
Life
James was the son of James Orrock, an Edinburgh dentist and druggist, living at 17 Elm Row at the top of Leith Walk.
He was educated in medicine, surgery, and dentistry at Edinburgh University, after which he practised as a dentist in Nottingham. Orrock studied painting under James Ferguson, William L. Leitch, and John Burgess, later enrolling at the Nottingham School of Design where he was taught by Thomas Stuart Smith.
He settled in London by 1866, becoming an associate of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1871, exhibiting at the Royal Scottish Academy and Royal Academy. His later style was highly influenced by David Cox, his paintings today are on show in various museums and galleries, including the Victoria and Albert Museum.
A strong advocate of J. M. W. Turner and British art in general, he was a renowned collector of paintings and oriental ceramics. A landscape painter and watercolourist, he is now believed to have restored, altered and improved works by other painters within his collection. Orrock created art-period rooms in his house, which he opened to the general public.
Having on two previous occasions bought furniture and paintings from Orrock's personal collection, on Orrock's death Lord Leverhulme bought most of his art collection, and some one thousand of his own paintings. Part of that collection was used to create the Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight. It was later confirmed that two watercolours by Cox bought by Leverhulme from Orrock were forgeries.
Today, Orrock is also notable as having commissioned, but not himself forged, many of the forgeries associated with the works of John Constable. His association with one copy of A Sea Beach Brighton painting by Constable was featured on the BBC One's Fake or Fortune? in January 2014.
Family
His brother Hector Heatly Orrock (1831-1862) was a short-lived architect involved in railway station design with Sir Thomas Bouch.