Professor John Wilson (nom de plume, 'Christopher North'), 1785 - 1854. Author and moral philosopher
About this artwork
Both in body and in mind, John Wilson was a larger than life character. An essayist and a sportsman, he was one of the founders of the right-wing Blackwood's Magazine and, for over thirty years, he was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. Duncan's portrait shows Wilson, gun in hand, on the moors. On the page he could be just as deadly, his reviews wounding reputations and killing promising careers.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Thomas Duncan (1807 - 1845) Scottish
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title:Professor John Wilson (nom de plume, 'Christopher North'), 1785 - 1854. Author and moral philosopher
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date created:About 1840
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materials:Oil on millboard
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measurements:60.60 x 42.50 cm; Framed: 84.00 x 66.60 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Presented by Art Fund (London Scot Bequest), 1938
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accession number:PG 1369
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gallery:
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depicted:
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subject:
Thomas Duncan
Thomas Duncan
Born in Perthshire, Thomas Duncan studied law before entering the Trustees' Academy, Edinburgh in 1827 where he trained under William Allan. Primarily a portrait and history painter, many of his subjects were taken from Scottish history, particularly romantic, Jacobite incidents. He was appointed...
