Regency Portraits Catalogue
Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan (1731-1804), Admiral
- Gallery portraits
- All known portraits
- Biography and References
A brief account of Duncan's portraiture is in James Caw, Scottish Portraits, 1903, II, pp 63-4; an annotated copy is in the NPG library. Except for the Reynolds of 1760, most of the portraits were painted immediately after Camperdown and are therefore arranged in the list below alphabetically by artist's name.
Gem by W. Brown exhibited RA 1798 (831).
Colossal plaster bust by Chantrey at Greenwich exhibited RA 1809 (859); a life sized plaster bust was commissioned by Daniel Alexander for Trinity House in 1810 and destroyed by enemy action after 1914.
Two oils by J. S. Copley in the National Maritime Museum - (1) Half-length painted 1793-5 as Vice-Admiral (L46.438/24) and (2) Three-quarter-length 1798 as Admiral (L46.438/22), both from the Camperdown collection; a sketch of the half-length is in Yale University Art Gallery; a modern version of the three-quarter-length is National Maritime Museum L46.438/31.
Oil by Danloux (NPG 1084).
Wedgwood medallion by De Vaere (NPG L152(8) [NPG 6270]).
Drawing by Edridge exhibited RA 1799 (627).
Wax relief by Isaac Gosset in a private collection was exhibited 'Essex and Suffolk Houses', Colchester, 1964 (10a).
Two watercolour drawings by Grimaldi are recorded in Rev Alexander Grimaldi, A Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings & engravings by and after William Grimaldi, 1873, p 30 nos.265-6.
J. G. Hancock's Camperdown medal contains a bust of Duncan on recto (illus. Laurence Brown, British Historical Medals, 1980, 426). Further medals are by Webb, Wyon and others (ibid., 428-32).
Oils by Hoppner (see NPG 1839). There are various copies by Derby, Holt, Jagger etc of the completed portraits in the Guildhall.
Two etchings by John Kay dated 1797 and 1798 in Kay's Portraits, 1842, pp 360-2.
Oil attributed to Tilly Kettle and said to be signed is listed in the Walpole Society Journal, XV, 1927, p 98, formerly belonging to the Earl of Camperdown, head and shoulders with arm resting on a ledge.
Miniature by Murphy in Royal Naval Exhibition Chelsea 1891 (1823) lent by Miss Morison Duncan.
Oil by Orme in National Maritime Museum (30-8) showing De Winter surrendering his sword on the quarterdeck of the Venerable is said to have been painted from a life sketch done on board in 1797. An ivory miniature by Orme in the Dutch Royal Collection (reproduced Daphne Foskett, John Smart, 1964, plate 257) was engraved by Orme himself 'from the Original Picture Painted by Mr Orme & Presented by his Lordship to Admiral De Winter', published 18 December 1797. A whole-length oil by Orme was engraved in mezzotint by Charles Turner 1798.
Miniature by R. M. Paye was used by Valentine Green for the mezzotint 'British Naval Victors' (Howe after Dupont, St Vincent after Cotes, Nelson after Abbott), published 11 February 1799.
Oil by Raeburn in Trinity House Leith, a magnificent whole-length in admiral's full-dress, commissioned by the Leith Corporation in 1797. Copies were presented by the Earl of Camperdown to Greenwich in 1851 and to Admiralty House Portsmouth in 1881. A half-length copy in Dundee Art Gallery was presented to Trinity House Dundee in 1843.
Oil by Reynolds in National Gallery of Scotland (1215), three-quarter-length as Captain Adam Duncan with sittings in 1760; a copy is on loan to the National Maritime Museum.
Miniature by Smart (NPG 4315).
Wax medallion by Tassie 1797, see NPG L152(8) by De Vaere above.
Large lithograph by de Villain after Maurin c.1850.
Marble statue by Westmacott in St Paul's Cathedral, 1804.
Unspecified busts were lent to the Royal Navy Exhibition, Chelsea, 1891 by the Admiralty (2846) and Henry Willett (2866).
Miniature attributed to Cosway, identity doubtful, is in Metropolitan Museum, New York (24.80.524); another doubtful miniature is at Lochinch Castle (Earl of Stair).
Duncan is the subject of an altered plate mezzotint by Faber originating with Zincke's portrait of Admiral Sir Chaloner Ogle 1741. The lettering was altered to name Admiral Hawke in 1755 and in 1797 the whole plate was coarsely reworked and named Duncan (see G. S. Layard, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits from Altered Plates, 1927, p 93 and plate XXXI).
Scenes of Admiral De Winter surrendering to Duncan at Camperdown were painted by Drummond, Orme, Singleton and others.
This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Walker, Regency Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 1985, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.
Gem by W. Brown exhibited RA 1798 (831).
Colossal plaster bust by Chantrey at Greenwich exhibited RA 1809 (859); a life sized plaster bust was commissioned by Daniel Alexander for Trinity House in 1810 and destroyed by enemy action after 1914.
Two oils by J. S. Copley in the National Maritime Museum - (1) Half-length painted 1793-5 as Vice-Admiral (L46.438/24) and (2) Three-quarter-length 1798 as Admiral (L46.438/22), both from the Camperdown collection; a sketch of the half-length is in Yale University Art Gallery; a modern version of the three-quarter-length is National Maritime Museum L46.438/31.
Oil by Danloux (NPG 1084).
Wedgwood medallion by De Vaere (NPG L152(8) [NPG 6270]).
Drawing by Edridge exhibited RA 1799 (627).
Wax relief by Isaac Gosset in a private collection was exhibited 'Essex and Suffolk Houses', Colchester, 1964 (10a).
Two watercolour drawings by Grimaldi are recorded in Rev Alexander Grimaldi, A Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings & engravings by and after William Grimaldi, 1873, p 30 nos.265-6.
J. G. Hancock's Camperdown medal contains a bust of Duncan on recto (illus. Laurence Brown, British Historical Medals, 1980, 426). Further medals are by Webb, Wyon and others (ibid., 428-32).
Oils by Hoppner (see NPG 1839). There are various copies by Derby, Holt, Jagger etc of the completed portraits in the Guildhall.
Two etchings by John Kay dated 1797 and 1798 in Kay's Portraits, 1842, pp 360-2.
Oil attributed to Tilly Kettle and said to be signed is listed in the Walpole Society Journal, XV, 1927, p 98, formerly belonging to the Earl of Camperdown, head and shoulders with arm resting on a ledge.
Miniature by Murphy in Royal Naval Exhibition Chelsea 1891 (1823) lent by Miss Morison Duncan.
Oil by Orme in National Maritime Museum (30-8) showing De Winter surrendering his sword on the quarterdeck of the Venerable is said to have been painted from a life sketch done on board in 1797. An ivory miniature by Orme in the Dutch Royal Collection (reproduced Daphne Foskett, John Smart, 1964, plate 257) was engraved by Orme himself 'from the Original Picture Painted by Mr Orme & Presented by his Lordship to Admiral De Winter', published 18 December 1797. A whole-length oil by Orme was engraved in mezzotint by Charles Turner 1798.
Miniature by R. M. Paye was used by Valentine Green for the mezzotint 'British Naval Victors' (Howe after Dupont, St Vincent after Cotes, Nelson after Abbott), published 11 February 1799.
Oil by Raeburn in Trinity House Leith, a magnificent whole-length in admiral's full-dress, commissioned by the Leith Corporation in 1797. Copies were presented by the Earl of Camperdown to Greenwich in 1851 and to Admiralty House Portsmouth in 1881. A half-length copy in Dundee Art Gallery was presented to Trinity House Dundee in 1843.
Oil by Reynolds in National Gallery of Scotland (1215), three-quarter-length as Captain Adam Duncan with sittings in 1760; a copy is on loan to the National Maritime Museum.
Miniature by Smart (NPG 4315).
Wax medallion by Tassie 1797, see NPG L152(8) by De Vaere above.
Large lithograph by de Villain after Maurin c.1850.
Marble statue by Westmacott in St Paul's Cathedral, 1804.
Unspecified busts were lent to the Royal Navy Exhibition, Chelsea, 1891 by the Admiralty (2846) and Henry Willett (2866).
Miniature attributed to Cosway, identity doubtful, is in Metropolitan Museum, New York (24.80.524); another doubtful miniature is at Lochinch Castle (Earl of Stair).
Duncan is the subject of an altered plate mezzotint by Faber originating with Zincke's portrait of Admiral Sir Chaloner Ogle 1741. The lettering was altered to name Admiral Hawke in 1755 and in 1797 the whole plate was coarsely reworked and named Duncan (see G. S. Layard, Catalogue of Engraved British Portraits from Altered Plates, 1927, p 93 and plate XXXI).
Scenes of Admiral De Winter surrendering to Duncan at Camperdown were painted by Drummond, Orme, Singleton and others.
This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Walker, Regency Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 1985, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.