[2] He left school at 14 and was initially apprenticed as a trainee lawyer to Scott, Bruce and Glover WS at 1 Hill Street in Edinburgh.

Inspired by the bright sunlight, he experimented with the bold use of colour, and the influence of the rustic realism of French painters is evident in his landscapes.

Alexander Reid sold Peploe's first work to America in 1905 - to Charles Kurtz of the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York.

His still-life works show the influence of Manet, with combinations of fluid brushwork, thick impasto and dark backgrounds with strong lighting.

Returning to Scotland in 1912 he found that his usual dealer refused his work and Peploe was obliged to stage his own exhibition.

Not until December 1915 did Peploe have his second one-man-show: organised by the dealer Alexander Reid at his St Vincent Street Gallery in Glasgow.

However, only two paintings sold: "Town in Brittany" to John Blyth for £12, and "Roses, Black Background" bought by William McInnes for £40.

[13] A painting which might or might not be by Peploe (the question is only resolved at the end of the book) plays a central role in the novel 44 Scotland Street by the Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith where a grandson of the painter makes a brief appearance.