A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1986 (DOST Vol. VI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Portratur(e, -our(e, n. Also: portrait(t)-, -tract-, -traict-; pourtrait-, -tract-; poirtrat-; porturat- and -or(e; Portatour. [ME and e.m.E. portreytoure, -treiture, -traiture, pourtrature, purtratoure (all Chaucer), pourtreture (Gower), also porterature, portracture (16th c.), OF pur-, pour-, portraiture (12–13th c. in Hatz.-Darm.), f. pourtrait p.p. and n., Portrait n. Cf. Protratour n.]
1. The action or art of portraying by painting, sculpture etc.; artistic portrayal. b. concr. (The product of) pictorial craftsmanship or artistry in portraying. c. In portrature, = as portrayed or represented pictorially.a. a1400 Leg. S. xi 68.
A paynteore, That rycht sle wes in portratore c1420 Wynt. v 944.
Thare wes na fygure he gert dycht Or mak off hym-self to be, Than it off sylvyr fyne made he … Welle fasownyt, off fayr portrature [E., E.2 porturatur] 1535 Stewart 34804.
Ane crucifix … In quhome the image of ouir Saluiour Affixt wes with perfite portratourb. 1513 Doug. xi xv 24.
Hys hosyng schane of wark of barbary In porturatour of subtell bruseryc. a1400 Leg. S. xiii Prol. 75.
Sanct Ionne in portratoure Of ane erne has the fygure c1515 Asl. MS. I 326/23.
The first … Matheu porturit in manly figour … , the secund is Marcus in forme of lyon … , the thrid is Luke in portratoure ane ox
2. What is portrayed in this way; a drawn, painted, sculpted etc. representation, delineation or picture of a person or thing.(a) c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 4275.
And than thai schew him into perfite payntoure All hale his fassoun and his portratoure Ib. 15125.
Ȝone is the portratoure of the visage, The werry fessoun of the phis[n]omye [etc.] a1499 Contempl. Sinn. 11 (Harl.).
The wardill is set in the salt see Quhais pirelous proces explanys the portracture Ib. 257.
This leif schawis ane plesaunt portracture For till ostend the state of innocence 1513 Doug. ii vii 87.
The portratour of armys was mysknaw, All war bot Grekis tymbrellis at thai saw c1552 Lynd. Mon. 2337.
Quhen thow seis ane portrature Off blyssit Marie 1567 Reg. Privy C. I 598.
Twa greit seillis … the ane of silver with the portratures of Frances and Marie [etc.] 1578 Inv. Wardrobe 240.
Ane uther litle buist … with nyntene portratouris of men on horsbak and utheris fantaseis of evir bane & woid 1580 Facs. Nat. MSS. III lxix.
Certane pourtraitures maid be me at his maiesteis commaund Ib.
Of the sowme … restand awand him for the thrie portraictures 1581 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I 154.
Haveand on the ane syde the portractour of his maiesties body armit [etc.] 1587-99 Hume 54/71.
The portrators of euerie vanquest towne Ib. 158/58.
To see the faire bords of divers sorts of viue and liuely portrators c1600 Montg. Suppl. vii 40.
Christ, gewe my breist war of the cristell cleir … Thair sould ȝe se ȝour portratour but peir, Ȝour face so sueit [etc.] 1601 Crim. Trials II 350.
In taking of his portratour, and … setting thairof to the … vpberaris of the gibbet a1605 Montg. Misc. P. l 25.
Pigmaleon that ane portratour [: paramour] Be painting craft did sa decoir [etc.] 1612–23 Treas. Acc. in Mill Mediæv. Plays 207.
Portraittour c 1620 Sutherland Bk. II 339.
Portratours 1645 Edinb. Test. LXI 115.
The king & queens portractors estimat baith to iij lib. 1665–7 Lauder Jrnl. 7.
Portraicturs(b) 1655 Glasgow B. Rec. II 322.
The hewing, forming and putting vp of Mr. Thomas Hutchesouns poirtratur
3. transf. and fig. A verbal representation, a description; a mental image or idea of something; a type or exemplar.c1490 Porteous Noblenes 171/10 (Asl.).
Heir followis the wertuis of nobilnes And portratouris thairof a1568 Bann. MS. 86 a/6.
Quhilk all of nocht hes maid ws marvelouslie To his ymage and hevinlye portratour 1606 Sel. Biog. I 84.
That ye should presume to fashion and shape a new portraitor of a kirk and a new forme of divine service 1687 Shields Hind Let Loose 296.
These scriptures do give the perfect pourtracture of our curates
4. transf. The external appearance of a person or animal, (chiefly, good) looks; also, physical beauty, more generally.This sense appar. only Sc.a1400 Leg. S. xxix 220.
In the self fourme and fygure In althing & portratoure, As he [be]for til hyme had don 1461 Liber Plusc. 385.
Quhat mycht God mare do … But dow hire with the gyftis of nature … First giffand hir the fairnes of figoure, With plesand propirnes of portratoure 1501 Doug. Pal. Hon. 454.
Scho was peirles of schap and portrature c1500-c1512 Dunb. G. Targe 150.
First … Come dame Beautee … , Fyne Portrature [etc.] 1528 Lynd. Dreme 479.
Rycht vnplesand he is of portrature Ib. 1047.
To prent thé of so plesand portrature 1533 Boece 611.
Sa grete formosite of hir plesand and gudlie portratoure 1540 Lynd. Sat. 282 (Bann.).
Behald my palpis of portratour perfyte Ib. 133.
Fair lady sensualitie The beriall of bewtie And portratour preclair c1552 Id. Mon. 2090.
Moist lyke his father of figoure, Off quantite, and portratoure 1567 Sat. P. iii 40.
Not hir fyrst spous, for all his greit puissance, In portratour and game mycht be his peir a1568 Bann. MS. 74 b/8.
Thy pryd and thy portratour [M. poirtrature] proffittis nocht a pin Quhen faid sall thy fegur Ib. 223 a/21.
The maist plesand patrone of portratour 1590 Burel Pilgr. i 76.
So fast the deir ran … His coulour I cud skantlie ken, Or portrature espy c1600 Montg. Suppl. x 36. 1632 Lithgow Trav. i 30.
That resplending image thou seest, was made … for eternizing the memory of my portraiture, as I was aliue
b. (A person's) shape, form or figure, stature, build or physique. Also c. The outward appearance, dimensions and other external attributes of a building.b. c1460 Alex. (Taym.) (ed.) 432.
For sen he bare a manis portrature He suld haue pietie of his awin nature Ib. 474.
Thane lerd he him … quhow he suld … be the pairtis of manis portrature Tak … knawleg Off thair conditioun Ib. 510. Ib. MS 7409.
To paynt his fessoun and his phisonony With all the portratoure of his body c1500-c1512 Dunb. lxxvii 35.
The Bruce … Richt awfull, strang and large of portratour 1533 Boece 132 b.
The stout personagis portratoure and continence of the Germane pepill 1560 Rolland Seven S. 7188.
This woman is … In speiche, in voice, makdome and portratour … sa done like my awin quene Ib. 10091. 1596 Dalr. II 119/20.
A woman … of singular beutie and perfyt portratour [L. corporis apta conformatione excellentem]c. 1528 Lynd. Dreme 591.
The portratour of that p[a]lace preclare, By geomatre it is inmesurabyll
d. A physical attribute or material part of a person's body.1513 Doug. iii vi 134.
Lyke to a woman hir ovyr portrature … Bot hir hynd partis ar als gret … As beyn a hydduus huddon
