Robert Adair

Painting

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Purdue University Galleries

The image features a classical oil painting of an elderly man displayed in an ornate gold frame, set against a dark background. The subject, portrayed with a solemn expression, wears a black coat and white neckcloth, and his white hair is styled in a period-appropriate manner. A plaque at the bottom of the frame identifies the subject as being 73 years old and hints at his notable intellectual contribution, though his exact identity is not disclosed in the image. The overall presentation suggests the painting's significance

The image features a classical oil painting of an elderly man displayed in an ornate gold frame, set against a dark background. The subject, portrayed with a solemn expression, wears a black coat and white neckcloth, and his white hair is styled in a period-appropriate manner. A plaque at the bottom of the frame identifies the subject as being 73 years old and hints at his notable intellectual contribution, though his exact identity is not disclosed in the image. The overall presentation suggests the painting's significance

Name/Title

Robert Adair

Entry/Object ID

1900.03

Description

Portrait of Robert Adair by Lemuel Abbot; “R.C. Vose/Paintings/Boston” stamped on vertical cross bar. Three quarter portrait of a middle aged man looking to the right off the canvas. Light comes from the upper left off the canvas, and he stands in front of a brown background with a shadow of his shoulder to his right and the right side of his face in partial shadow. He has on a powered wig with two curls at the ears, a soft white neckcloth, dark waistcoat, and jacket. He is slender and serious looking with a sharp nose, hooded eyes, and high cheekbones. The palette is warm neutrals with soft defused light and tight brushwork.

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Oil on Canvas

Subject

Robert Adair (also known as Robin Adair, ca. 1711-1790), Irish born doctor who served as the surgeon to George III.

Subject Person

Robert Adair

Collection

Permanent

Acquisition

Accession

1900.03

Source or Donor

Booth Tarkington

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

Lemuel Francis Abbott

Role

Painter

Date made

circa 1780 - circa 1790

Time Period

18th Century

Place

Country

England

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Sticker, Receiver Marking

Location

upper right back corner

Transcription

PROPERTY OF PURDUE UNIVERSITY 673931

Language

English

Notes

No signature

Type

Tag, Label

Location

right middle backside

Transcription

"Robert Adair" 1900.03 HARR-C14-A

Language

English

Type

Plaque, Engraving

Location

bottom middle front

Transcription

"WHERE'S ALL THE JOY AND MIRTH MADE LIFE A HEAVEN ON EARTH?"

Language

English

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Portrait

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Picture

Nomenclature Class

Art

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Height

30 in

Width

24 in

Color

Black, white, Tan, Gray, Cream

Web Links and URLs

Wikipedia

Provenance

Provenance Detail

Source Notes

Role

Information provided by source.

Notes

Unrecorded descendant of Robert Adair; private collector in St. Louis, Missouri {1}; purchased by (R.C. Vose, Boston) in 1934; purchased by Booth Tarkington (1869-1946), Indianapolis, Indiana in 1935; donated to Purdue University in 1946 {2}. {1} See correspondence with Molly Lynch of Vose Galleries who noted that the work was acquired by a St. Louis collection from a descendent of Adair. The sitter is listed as "Sir Robin Adair" in Vose's records. {2} The accession number erroneously lists the work as coming to Purdue in 1900 but is listed as a bequest.

Copyright

Type of License

None

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Object Label

Label

**Note that this label is actually about the sitter's son. Dr. Robert Adair was born ca. 1711 and died 1790. He served as personal surgeon to King George III and Surgeon General of Great Britain. (KG 04/18/2023)** Sir Robert Adair (1763 – 1855) was a distinguished English diplomat and was frequently employed on the most important diplomatic missions. He was a Whig Member of Parliament for Appleby (1799–1802) and Camelford (1802–12). -- Born in Leicestershire, England, Lemmel Abbott studied art in London under Francis Hayman. By the early 1780s he had established a prosperous portrait studio and exhibited his work at the Royal Academy of Arts. His portraits are all of male sitters, many of them Navy officers. In 1798 he was certified insane but continued to exhibit his work for two more years before his death in 1802.