DOLPHINS, TULIPS AND NAPOLEON: THE DUNIMARLE COLLECTION AT DUFF HOUSE
A Study Day at
Duff House, Banff, AB45 3SX
WEDNESDAY 12 OCTOBER 2016 and repeated on THURSDAY 13TH OCTOBER 2016
Duff House stands beside the River Deveron where it meets the sea on Aberdeenshire’s Dolphin Coast. The magnificent
building, designed by William Adam, once housed the collections and library of the Earls of Fife, but these were
dispersed when the family finally left in 1906. The house was given to the people of Banff and Macduff, and had many
different uses before a £2m restoration by Historic Scotland and a partnership with the National Galleries of Scotland
and Banff and Buchan Council saw the house re-opened to the public in 1995. It was once again full of paintings,
furniture, ceramics, silverware and a library, thanks to an exceptional loan from the Trustees of the Dunimarle
Collection and other loans, including many from NGS.
The Dunimarle Collection was brought together by three brothers, their father, Sir William Erskine of Torrie,
and their sister, Mrs Magdalene Sharpe Erskine, who died in 1872. In her will, she established the family collections as
the Torrie Institute, open to the public for their interest and enjoyment. The Institute’s third curator was James Walker
Harper (1868 – 1938), Rector of St Margaret’s Leven and Canon of St Ninian’s Cathedral, Perth. Between 1910 and
1912, he catalogued the entire collection, covering 368 pages with descriptions and notes, including over 1,311 object
drawings and watercolours. Comparing this catalogue with the original Duff House inventories shows many similarities
between the two collections and the interests of the Fife and Erskine families. We no longer have the Fife collections
at Duff House, but thanks to the Dunimarle Collection loan, similar objects and interests can still be brought to life at
Duff House today. This is what ‘DOLPHINS, TULIPS AND NAPOLEON’ is all about.
Canon Harper’s fascinating catalogue is the inspiration for the Study Day – the first of its kind at Duff House,
and there is already a lot of interest in the event. Numbers on site are limited to 70 for safety regulations, so our
speakers will present the programme twice, on Wednesday 12th and again on Thursday 13th October. Come and share
the excitement of these six experts who have studied the collection with Canon Harper’s notes in hand, and will
present their discoveries on the Dunimarle Library, Paintings, Furniture, Ceramics, Sculpture and Indian objects. Hear
about the Napoleon Room; learn about porcelain with an extra layer of painting; or how we know that different
craftsmen spoke to each other when designing a table for the French king. What did a painting cost in Paris in 1816 –
and how much did the Government make on import duties? Which object surprised the experts most, and why? In
fact, there is so much to tell that we have had to leave the Lace, Painted Glass and Metalwork for another day.
DOLPHINS, TULIPS AND NAPOLEON’ is open to all, and all are welcome. Tickets for either day are
£10, to include admission to Duff House; six talks; sandwich lunch + cake + tea/coffee; morning and afternoon tea
/coffee + cake. The first speaker is at 11.00 (coffee from 10.15 a.m.) and the Study Day ends at 4.45 p.m. B&B/hotel
addresses are available on request, and we are keen to help with transport/sharing wherever possible.
Please book early and before the closing date of Saturday 8th October at:
https://tickets.historic-scotland.gov.uk/webstore/shop/ViewItems.aspx?CG=hscg&C=duffhousestudyday
or by sending a cheque for £10, payable to ‘CHC Study Day’, to:
Anne Buddle (CHC), National Galleries of Scotland, 75, Belford Road, Edinburgh EH4 3DR
For any questions, please contact Anne Buddle, Canon Harper Project, at:
Mon,Tues, Thurs:
[email protected]
Tel: 0131 624 6315
Weds, Fri & evenings: [email protected]
Tel: 0131 337 2734