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A full-length portrait to the right, showing Duncan in his admiral's full dress uniform (1795–1812 pattern), with a gold medal for the Battle of Camperdown and the ribbon and star of the Russian Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky. He rests his left hand on a table covered in charts and papers. Behind him, swags of red drapery frame a view of the sea. This painting is a copy of a portrait in the Trinity House at Leith. The original was commissioned in February 1798 by the Incorporation of Masters and Mariners of the Trinity House to express their admiration for Admiral Duncan, a fellow Scot, after his fleet defeated the Dutch at the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October 1797. The Incorporation licenced pilots for the North Sea and, at Duncan’s request, they had sent Edward Brown – a member of the Trinity House – to serve as a pilot for his fleet.
Adam Duncan entered the navy in 1746 under the care of his maternal uncle, Captain Robert Haldane. He then served under the Honourable Augustus Keppel until promoted to the rank of commander on 21 September 1759, being present at the expedition to Basque Roads in 1757, the reduction of Goree in 1758 and the blockade of Brest in 1759. While in command of the 'Valiant', he played an important part in the reduction of Belle Isle in June 1761 and Havana in August 1762. After 1763 he was on half-pay for fifteen years until 1778. After his return to employment, he sat on the court-martials of Keppel and Palliser. In the 'Monarch', he was part of the squadron sent to relieve Gibraltar and took part in the action of St Vincent on 16 January 1780. In the 'Blenheim' he again relieved Gibraltar in 1782 and took part in the action off Cape Spartel. He was promoted to flag rank on 24 September 1787. In February 1795, he was appointed commander-in-chief in the North Sea and charged with blockading the Dutch in the Texel. His fleet was joined by an allied Russian squadron in spring 1797, leading Emperor Paul I to appoint Duncan to the Russian Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky, the ribbon and sash of which he wears in Raeburn’s portrait. In October 1797, Duncan’s fleet achieved a crushing victory over the Dutch at the Battle of Camperdown, after which the admiral came ashore for several months and sat for a number of portraits. He continued in command of the North Sea fleet until 1800, which marked the end of his active career. He died suddenly in August 1804.
Title
Admiral Adam Duncan (1731–1804), 1st Viscount Duncan
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 240 x W 153.5 cm
Accession number
BHC2671
Acquisition method
National Maritime Museum (Greenwich Hospital Collection)
Work type
Painting
