THERE are hopes that a “lost artwork of immense significance” has been discovered at a Scottish castle.
Scottish literature scholar Professor Gerard Carruthers believes an 18th-century portrait may depict the poet Robert Fergusson – who was the “muse” of Robert Burns.
Carruthers, who examined the painting at Barnbougle Castle near Edinburgh, said that previously only three known likenesses of Fergusson from his lifetime existed.
These were a crude sketch in the Cape Club minute-book for 1773, a portrait by Alexander Runciman and a painting by an unknown artist, said to have once been in the possession of the artist Henry Raeburn.
The research suggests the newly highlighted portrait may be a previously unknown lifetime likeness of Fergusson, who died at just 24 years old in 1774 – with this year marking the 250th anniversary of his death.
“While examining a copy of Fergusson’s works that belonged to Robert Burns, a portrait was also kindly presented for examination by Lady Jane Kaplan at Barnbougle Castle. I realised when I saw it, we might be looking at a lost artwork of immense significance. This may well match a fabled ‘lost portrait’ of Fergusson or be one hitherto entirely unknown.
“The portrait’s provenance and artistic features suggest it may be the very artwork mentioned in Fergusson’s own poem, Codicile To Rob. Fergusson’s Last Will, where he references a portrait intended for his publisher Walter Ruddiman.
The portrait has an inscription on the back which reads “Portrait of Robert Ferguson”, and there are three leading theories on its origins.
The most compelling evidence, Carruthers said, points toward James Cummyng, a fellow member of Fergusson’s Cape Club and a portrait painter who served as herald painter and lyon clerk depute.
Other theories include the portrait being the work of Andrew Fyfe, a skilled draughtsman and prize-winning painter who had connections to Fergusson’s artistic circles, or potentially a likeness of Fergusson’s sister who was known to bear a strong resemblance to the poet, by an unknown painter.
Carruthers added: “Whatever the case, we have here a late 18th-century oil portrait of Fergusson, very possibly painted during his lifetime, and for which he may well have sat. The heraldic illustrations in the frame and surrounding the painting align perfectly with [James] Cummyng’s official role in regulating Scottish coats of arms.”
The painting was part of the collection of Archibald Philip Primrose, the 5th Earl of Rosebery, who served as the UK’s prime minister from 1894 to 1895.
The portrait has also sparked interest among art historians.
James Holloway, the former director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, has confirmed the painting’s late 18th-century origins, though he was unable to attribute it to a known artist.
Holloway added: “It is a wonderful discovery and a great rarity. I congratulate Professor Carruthers.”
The portrait will be unveiled to an audience at Irvine Burns Club on Friday.
Robert Burns moved to Irvine in 1781 and while staying there he found a book of poetry by Fergusson in a local bookshop, which fired his creativity particularly in Scots.
Bill Nolan, hon secretary of the Irvine Burns Club, which celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2026, said: “Willie Templeton, a local Irvine bookseller, introduced Robert Burns to the verses in Scots of Robert Fergusson, as a possible medium for his own poems.
“By his own admission, Burns chose Fergusson as his muse and while there is no doubt that Burns could – and did – write in English, it was his ability to write and publish in Scots that has set Burns apart from other 18th-century Scottish versifiers.”
The discovery comes as the University of Glasgow leads commemorations marking the 250th anniversary of Fergusson’s death through the Leverhulme Trust-funded project “The Works Of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual And Cultural Legacies”.
This initiative aims to publish a new edition of Fergusson’s complete works.
