Search Constraints
Search Results
-
Lecture
An Egyptian Luxury in Roman Scotland
Discover how research and collecting at National Museums Scotland is reshaping understandings of Scotland's past as we take a closer look at a very special Roman object with surprising Egyptian origins.Hughes, Bettany ; Hunter, Fraser ; Potter, Dan
-
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
-
Video
The Kingdom of the Scots - A virtual guided tour
Lydia Prosser, Curator of Medieval Archaeology and History, presents a personalised tour of our Kingdom of the Scots gallery. Discover collections that chart the development of Scotland into the nation we know today, from the early medieval period up to the union with England in 1707. See highlights of our...Prosser, Lydia
-
Lecture
Neolithic Scotland: changing perceptions, new approaches, plethora of data, and contested narratives
Our narrative of the past has been, and continues to be, the subject of intense debate, not least in regard to when, how and why the novel way of life appeared and became established in Scotland, and what happened to Scotland’s hunter-fisher-forager communities. This first lecture reviews our understanding, and...Sheridan, J A
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
Uncovering objects: the importance of context for the textiles of Tyninghame House, Scotland, circa 1700-1800
In 1977 the Earl of Haddington approached museums in Edinburgh, Scotland, with an offer of textiles and dress stored at Tyninghame House, East Lothian, south of the city. After consultation, the resulting sale saw a large collection of pieces split between the Royal Scottish Museum and the Museum of Antiquities....Taylor, Emily
-
Conference paper (unpublished)
The Storrar Coverlet: uncovering a story of Baltic trade
This beautiful double-weave coverlet, dated 1729, was recently acquired by National Museums Scotland from the collection of a family from Fife in the east of Scotland. In the family’s possession for generations, the coverlet has been passed down, tradition has it, from mother to daughter. The double-weave technique was used...Wyld, Helen
-
Book chapter
Jacob Christoff Le Blon's secret for weaving tapestry
An assessment of Jacob Christoff Le Blon's invention of a method of weaving tapestry (usually hand-woven) mechanically on a drawloom, patented in London in 1727. The article is the first detailed analysis of Le Blon's method.Wyld, Helen
-
Book chapter
Forward titled: The National Trust's Tapestry Collection
From the Middle Ages, tapestries with figurative or other ornament were used by royalty and aristocrats to furnish their palaces and houses. While often observed as two dimensional art, they are three dimensional structures requiring specialist skill to maintain and conserve them. Since the vast majority of tapestries are on...Wyld, Helen
-
Book chapter
The Renaissance reimagined: Minton, Majolica, and Maiolica
From about 1850, the Renaissance Revival inspired the design of both architecture and the decorative arts in Britain, prompting Minton & Co. to bring the arts of the Renaissance to the Staffordshire potteries. Within the context of its ongoing use of historical examples, the firm successfully adopted and adapted Renaissance...Blakey, Claire
-
Journal article
Emmeline Hastings: otherworldly jewels
I remember the day I first encountered the work of Emmeline Hastings. It was in the wonderfully titled Not Too Precious exhibition of 25 international artists, who, as curator Dr Elizabeth Goring stated in the introduction to the catalogue, represented those makers who were ‘dedicated to using materials for their...Rothwell, Sarah
-
Journal article
21st-century Buffalo Boys: Intersectional approaches to the complexities of modern masculinity
Scottish-born stylist, Ray Petri, founder of the maverick Buffalo Collective, defined the look and feel of the radical fashion magazines such as i-D, The Face and Arena. The Buffalo Boy look pioneered a more sexually ambiguous form of fashion iconography, undermining the putative immutability of normative codes of gender and...Ripley, Georgina
Buffalo collective, gender, queer Black masculinity, Black sexuality, Campbell Addy, intersectionality, and Ibrahim Kamara
-
Book chapter
The Dresden Acts of the Apostles and the fortunes of Raphael’s designs, c. 1623–1728
From 1515, Raphael was commissioned by Pope Leo X to create ten large-format cartoons, which were used as design to weave the tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. They show scenes from the lives of the Princes of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. In the 17th century, Raphael’s cartoons were used...Wyld, Helen
-
Journal article
Conserving 18th-century shoes National Museums Scotland
A pair of women's shoes dated c.1730-1760, was recently conserved for display in the Fashion and Style gallery at National musuems ScotlandConnolly, Danielle
-
Journal article
The Graham Gadd collection of furniture ephemera
National Museums Scotland recently received a donation of furniture related items from RFS member Graham Gadd.Jackson, Stephen
-
Journal article
Dryleys Pottery, Montrose
While cataloguing pottery from a private collection for an exhibition in the City of Edinburgh Museum, I realised just how little was known about a yellow galzed moulded jug marked "D Crowe/Montrose". I therefore decided to research the pottery and its wares.Haggarty, George R
-
Journal article
A Scottish stoneware jug
In 2001 National Museums Scotland (NMS) acquired an elaborately decorated but unmarked stoneware jug, which was tentatively linked to Newbigging Pottery in Musselburgh. Over the last year exhibition research has shed light on documentary evidemce, linking the jug to the pottery at Newbigging.Hynes, Adrienne
-
Book chapter
Discussion
The Sculptor’s Cave is one of the most enigmatic prehistoric sites in Britain. Excavated in the 1920s and 1970s, new analysis of the archive has revealed a complex history of funerary and ritual activity from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman Iron Age. Using innovative methods and new techniques, this...Cruickshanks, Gemma ; Hunter, Fraser ; Armit, Ian ; Büster, Lindsey
-
Book chapter
Later prehistoric pottery
The Sculptor’s Cave is one of the most enigmatic prehistoric sites in Britain. Excavated in the 1920s and 1970s, new analysis of the archive has revealed a complex history of funerary and ritual activity from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman Iron Age. Using innovative methods and new techniques, this...Cruickshanks, Gemma ; Sheridan, J A
-
Blog post
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
-
Blog post
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
-
Blog post
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
-
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
-
Blog post
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
-
Blog post
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
-
Blog post
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
-
Video
Fragments of the Bronze Age
Dr Matt Knight FSAScot, Curator of Prehistory at National Museums Scotland presents “Fragments of the Bronze Age. The destruction and deposition of metalwork in Britain.”, an account of research on the remains of bronze age metal objects, commonly retrieved as hoards. With thanks to Society Fellow Sir Angus Grossart QC...Knight, Matthew G
-
Journal article
Investigating the Traprain Law Roman treasure
National Museums Scotland has one of the most important late Roman treasures in Europe, the Traprain Treasure, found in 1919 on Traprain Law, East Lothian, a hill top some 20 miles east of Edinburgh. The treasure is the largest and most important hoard of late Roman silver from beyond the...Tate, Jim ; Troalen, Lore
-
Doctoral thesis
Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton (1767-1852) as patron and collector
This thesis examines the patronage and collecting of Alexander, l0th Duke of Hamilton, premier peer of Scotland, son-in-law of the maniacal collector William Beckford, and arguably the greatest collector in the history of Scotland. Using archival evidence from many sources, it begins with investigations of the Duke's early collecting of...Evans, Godfrey
-
Journal article
The early evolution of the tappit hen
The recent discovery of three pewter tappit hen measures from the excavation of a ship sunk off Mull in 1653 has enabled us to deduce something of the origins of this eponymous Scottish measure. They are of Scots pint, chopin and half-mutchkin capacity, and they display several hitherto unrecognised features....Davies, Peter ; Dalgleish, George ; Lamb, David
-
Book
The late Roman silver treasure from Traprain Law
Excavated from Traprain Law, East Lothian, Scotland, in May 1919, was one of the most spectacular discoveries of Roman silver ever made in Europe - and the biggest hoard of `hacksilver': 23kg, battered, crushed and chopped up. Blame for the destruction has hitherto been laid at the door of `barbarians'...Hunter, Fraser ; Kaufmann-Heinimann, Annemarie ; Painter, Kenneth
-
Journal article
West Pans: excavations at a ceramic production site in Musselburgh, East Lothian
Excavations were undertaken in 1981 and 1990–1 at the site of the 18th-/19th-century ceramics manufacturing complex of West Pans, near Musselburgh. The foundations of several structures were uncovered although many proved impossible to interpret or date. Several puddling pits, most of them quite small, were identified, as was part of...Lewis, John ; Cobo del Arco, Belen ; Eremin, Katherine ; Forbes, Shiela ; Gallagher, Denis …
kiln, ceramics, William Littler, and puddling pits
-
Journal article
Ceramic traditions - the evidence from clay sampling at two late prehistoric sites: Birnie (Moray) and Traprain Law (East Lothian), Scotland
Clay sampling in archaeological studies has predominantly been used to answer questions of the provenance of ceramic materials, but recent literature has increasingly focused on further issues concerning material choices and selection (e.g. Martineau et al. 2007). These studies have often highlighted social mechanisms behind the selection of clays and...Sahlén , Daniel
-
Doctoral thesis
Organology of the Queen Mary and Lamont harps Volume 1
The metal strung harp indigenous to Ireland and Scotland from the Medieval period to the end of the 18th century was widely admired throughout its time period, and is now an important part of the cultural and musical heritage of both of these countries. This type of harp, known as...Loomis, Karen Ann
-
Doctoral thesis
Face to face with the Lewis Chessmen: an exploration of children's engagement with material heritage at the National Museum of Scotland
Museums can be productive sites for the study of society, because they are spaces where the constitution of knowledge about the past is made visible through public display. Playing an important role in the performance and legitimisation of national culture, museums in Scotland pay particular attention to the education of...Bull, Nicola Lucy
museums , children , National Museum of Scotland , Lewis chessmen, heritage education , and material culture
-
Book chapter
Mementoes of power and conquest: Sikh jewellery in the collection of National Museums Scotland
This chapter traces the historical trajectory of pieces of jewellery and personal effects in the collection of National Museums Scotland which once belonged to the last Sikh ruler of Panjab, Maharaja Duleep Singh (1838–93). Deposed from the throne after the Second Anglo–Sikh War, exiled and deprived of his possessions, religion...Voigt, Friederike
Post-Colonial Studies , War Studies, Imperial/Colonial History , Cultural History, and Museum & Gallery Studies
-
Book chapter
Indigenising folk art: eighteenth-century powder horns in British military collections
Engraved power horns are a well-known aspect of the material culture of the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), also known in North America as the French and Indian War. In looking at collections in military museums across the UK it emerged that powder horns were a distinctive form of material culture...Lidchi, Henrietta ; Allan, Stuart
Post-Colonial Studies , War Studies, Museum & Gallery Studies , Cultural History, and Imperial/Colonial History
-
-
Book chapter
The Industrial Pottery In: Cachart, Ray ‘A little earth above the stone’: Archaeological Investigations 2006–2012 for consolidation work at Moy Castle, Mull, Argyll and Bute
The fifteenth-century Moy Castle tower-house on Mull was altered in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but was abandoned as a domestic residence in 1752. Conservation works between 2006 and 2012, showed the alterations to have been additional turrets, caphouses and a garderobe. The garret entrance was relocated and the second...Hall, Derek ; Haggarty, George
-
Journal article
Scottish East Coast Transfer Printed Wares
In this paper I will use both extant examples and shards recovered archaeologically to highlight what evidence we have, for production of transfer printed wares, by the potteries situated between Portobello and PrestonpansHaggarty, George R
-
Journal article
Italian pottery in Scotland
John Hurst, in his seminal paper on Italian pottery imported into Britain and Ireland, stated that ‘pottery datable between the thirteenth and twentieth centuries, has been found on over one hundred sites in Britain and Ireland but did not reach Scotland' (Hurst 1991, 212). In an attempt to up-date the...Haggarty, George R
-
Journal article
The Spearhead of the Pennon …
In 1999, the late Professor Charles Thomas donated a Middle Bronze Age spearhead to the National Museum collection. This spearhead came with a label indicating that it was part of the pennant taken into the Battle of Flodden by Robert Chisholme in 1513. This paper investigates the likelihood that such...Knight, Matthew G ; Sheridan, J A
-
Book chapter
Disc-rings made from Alpine rocks, in the social imagination of Neolithic communities
In France, disc-rings of Alpine jades and of serpentinite circulated over very long distances, as far as the Channel Islands and the coast of Brittany. The authors present a typochronological study for each rock type, along with distribution maps and a general social interpretation. Two origins are identified, of which...Pétrequin, P ; Cassen, S ; Errera, M ; Pailler, Yves ; Pétrequin, A-M …
-
Book chapter
A northern view of Arras: or, we have chariots too
In 1817 a group of East Yorkshire gentry opened barrows in a large Iron Age cemetery on the Yorkshire Wolds at Arras, near Market Weighton, including a remarkable burial accompanied by a chariot with two horses, which became known as the King’s Barrow. This was the third season of excavation...Hunter, Fraser
lithic artefacts, prehistoric structure and pits, Palimpsest site, and prehistoric pottery
-
Book chapter
Fifty shades of green: the irresistible attraction, use and significance of jadeitite and other green Alpine rock types in Neolithic Europe
This chapter summarizes the results of two major international projects JADE and JADE 2. These examined the exploitation, circulation, use and significance of artefacts made from jadeite and other green rocks from the Western Alps in Neolithic Europe. The most-widely travelled of all the prehistoric materials, these Alpine jades seem...Sheridan, J A ; Pétrequin, Pierre ; Pétrequin, A-M ; Cassen, S ; Errera, M …
-
Book chapter
Sycamore Vessel 5 by Liam Flynn
128 page full colour coffee table format publication celebrating the life and work of wood artist Liam Flynn.Rothwell, Sarah
-
Journal article
Life's rich tapestries
In its 400th anniversary year, Helen Wyld explores the short and turbulent history of the Mortlake tapestry works, arguably the greatest State-sponsored manufactory Britain has ever known.Wyld, Helen