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Blog post
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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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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Blog post
Stories in stone the lost history of Indian sculpted deities
Friederike Voigt explains how research carried out 200 years ago has helped her piece together the lost history of sculpted deities brought to Scotland from IndiaVoigt, Friederike
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Blog post
Inspiring body, mind and spirit
It’s been over two months since I wrote my last blog post and once again our museums are closed, but we look forward to re-opening and a life beyond lockdown.Breward, Christopher
LGBT History Month , Digital Media , Sculpture, LGBTQIA+, and Art And Design
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Blog post
Collecting marine mammals
Our natural sciences collection includes an internationally significant collection of marine mammals. In this post, Curatorial Preparator Georg Hantke explores how that collection continues to grow and how it informs new understanding of the whales, dolphins and porpoises found around the coasts of Scotland.Hantke, Georg
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Blog post
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
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Blog post
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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Blog post
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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Blog post
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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Blog post
Time travelling at National Museums Scotland
As the clocks change back to Greenwich Mean Time and days shorten towards Winter Solstice, the sensation of passing time seems more acute than ever. A few days ago I visited our National Museums Collection Centre at Granton in North Edinburgh where time's disorientating effects are set out in concrete...Breward, Christopher