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Blog post
Taking the Buddha out of Buddhism
At first sight, two of our large Buddhist sculptures appear to have similar stories. Dig a little deeper, and everything is not as it seems. Our Japan Foundation Assistant Curator Marjolein de Raat compares these statues as she explores their origins, the Victorian fascination with the ‘exotic’ and cultural appropriation.De Raat, Marjolein
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The Galloway Hoard: a personal reflection
We all bring our own perspectives to the world we live in. Museum exhibitions are no different. When David C. Weinczok visited the Galloway Hoard exhibition, he was struck by its atmosphere and scale. He reflects on his journey through the space, uniquely informed by his own knowledge and experience.Weinczok, David C
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Women identity textiles and heritage in Mozambique
A project exploring the relationship between tradition and change in the lives of women in Mozambique recently resulted in an exhibition in Maputo. Principal Investigator Sarah Worden tells us about the latest activity in this collaborative project and how focusing on the cotton printed capulana encouraged discussions around identity and...Worden, Sarah
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Frozen assets saving species with biobanks
How do frozen tissue samples from the 1960s help animal conservation in the time of COVID-19? Andrew Kitchener and Gill Murray-Dickson explore the importance of our Biobank and the CryoArks initiative for continuing research to answer the questions of today and the future.Kitchener, Andrew C
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LGBTQIA+ hidden histories
LGBTQIA+ stories have often been left out of mainstream history and we are keen to make them more visible. Our new trail highlights unexplored stories from across our collections. Laura Bennison, our Community Engagement Officer, explores how our LGBTQIA+ Hidden Histories Trail came to be and how it was developed.Bennison, Laura
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Hieroglyphs from the North: Newcastle and Jean-François Champollion
On the 27th of September 1822, a young scholar delivered a paper just eight pages long and rather unassumingly titled ‘Letter to Monsieur Dacier’, but which would completely change the world’s understanding of ancient history. The scholar was Jean-François Champollion and his paper was the first truly significant breakthrough in...Maitland, Margaret
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Artistic expressions of today: Climate change
Over the last year, we have acquired several artefacts that discuss how the impact of the pandemic and wider socio-political subjects have inspired the creation of some remarkable works of art, craft and design that reflect these times. Sarah Rothwell, Senior Curator of Modern & Contemporary Design, kicks off our...Rothwell, Sarah
Art & Design, Climate , Contemporary Collecting , COVID-19, and Climate Change
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National Museums Scotland supporting emerging Silversmiths: Jessica Jue & Hazel Thorn
In the second of our guest blogs, Sarah Rothwell, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Design at National Museums Scotland, shares the story of the continued relationship between National Museums Scotland and the P&O Makower Trust.Rothwell, Sarah
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Materialising Mary Queen of Scots at National Museums Scotland: A Renaissance Queen
In today’s blog, Dr Anna Groundwater (Principal Curator, Renaissance and Early Modern History, National Museums Scotland) walks us virtually through the Renaissance Gallery, at the National Museums Scotland in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, and reflects on the various Maries we create from objects.Groundwater, Anna
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Exhibiting Mary: challenges and opportunities
Today’s blog by David Forsyth (Principal Curator, Modern and Contemporary Scottish History, National Museums Scotland) was part of the project’s virtual workshop on ‘Re-presenting Mary: challenges and opportunities’, held on 7 August 2020. David discusses his experience of curating the last major Mary exhibit in Scotland, which also launched the...Forsyth, David
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Blog post
These are not Viking swords
Swords of the Viking Age are some of the most iconic objects of the early medieval period. The very word ‘Viking’ conjures images of warriors, at least judging by the covers of books on Viking-age history and archaeology.Maldonado, Adrián
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Looting Scotland in the Viking Age
In 795 AD one of the first recorded Viking raids in Britain took place at the monastery of Iona in what is now Scotland. Dozens of raids and battles would follow, leading to the plunder of people, cattle, and, of course, portable wealth by Vikings.Maldonado, Adrián
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Stories from small things – a remarkable Roman brooch
Fraser Hunter is the principal curator of Iron Age and Roman collections at National Museums Scotland. His primary research interests are understanding Iron Age decorative metalwork (“Celtic art”) in its European context, understanding the impact of the Roman world on the peoples of Scotland in its Empire-wide context and making...Hunter, Fraser
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Romans in your letterbox
One of our most prized Roman artefacts has received the ultimate accolade – it’s featured on a Royal Mail stamp.Hunter, Fraser
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National Museums Scotland supporting emerging silversmiths: Hamish Dobbie
In the first of our guest blogs, Sarah Rothwell, Curator of Modern & Contemporary Design at National Museums Scotland, shares the story of the relationship between National Museums Scotland and the P&O Makower Trust.Rothwell, Sarah
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Collecting the present
Contemporary collecting has been a hot topic for many museums for several years now. Curators have adopted several different approaches to ensuring their institutions are responsive and capturing the important issues of the time so that present and future visitors are better able to understand and learn from the experience...Breward, Chris
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Golden moments researching the Galloway Hoard part one: tracing golden threads
In 2017, hundreds of generous donors saved the Galloway Hoard for the nation. But their generosity did more than save the hoard; it enabled us to start conserving and researching it, opening a unique window into Viking-age Scotland’s relationship with Britain, Ireland and the wider world, over a millennium ago.Goldberg, D Martin
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Golden moments researching the Galloway Hoard part two: hidden constellations of gold
This is the second of two posts tracking my research journey with the Galloway Hoard over the last two years. We always knew that the Galloway Hoard would be important for enhancing our understanding of Scotland’s international connections in the 9th century AD, but some of the moments of revelation...Goldberg , D Martin
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Picts ‘n Mix: complex identities in the Viking age
The Picts are best known for pulling off one of Scottish history’s most famous disappearing acts. What, or who, accounts for them vanishing from the historical record after AD900? In the northern isles, the Pictish language seems to disappear completely. The blame often falls on the Vikings, who attacked Scotland...Maldonado, Adrián
Archaeology, Picts , Scottish History, Vikings, and Shetland
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Geometric Variations . . Paolozzi the designer
Paolozzi is celebrated for his robust larger-than-life sculptures but as Sarah Rothwell, curator at National Museums Scotland points out, Paolozzi worked extensively & brilliantly as a designer on the smaller-scale.Rothwell, Sarah