In 1941 John Duncan was the first living artist to be given a retrospective at the National Gallery of Scotland. In 1946, a year after his death, his estate gifted twelve significant albums compiled by Duncan to the RSA.
The first of these albums, Atlanteans, has context in Duncan's interest in Theosophy and contains some fantastic drawings and studies. From page 8 are a series of figurative studies for Duncan's Diploma Work in the RSA collections Ivory, Apes and Peacocks. On page 22 is a watercolour study for the impressive painting Aoife, in the City Art Centre collection.
