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Book chapter
‘Coal money’ from Portpatrick (south-west Scotland): reconstructing an Early Medieval craft centre from antiquarian finds
Late 19th and 20th-century finds of debris from shale bangle manufacture at Portpatrick in south-west Scotland occasioned considerable interest at the time. The early discoveries were found in grave-digging, giving rise to folk traditions of the material as ‘coal money’ placed with the departed, but these were soon dismissed by...Hunter, Fraser
bangles, antiquarian study, Early Medieval, Irish connections, Oil shale, and craft processes
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Book
Ancient lives: object, people and place in Early Scotland. Essays for David V Clarke on his 70th birthday
Ancient Lives provides new perspectives on object, people and place in early Scotland and beyond. The 19 papers cover topics ranging from the Neolithic to the Medieval period, and from modern museum practice to ancient craft skills. The material culture of ancient lives is centre stage – how it was... -
Book chapter
Collecting nature within nature – animal inclusings in Amber in Early Modern Collections, or “Miniture marvels of nature”
When the French diplomat Charles Ogier saw frogs and lizards embedded in amber for sale during his visit to Danzig in November 1635 he called them “miniature miracles of nature.” With rare exceptions, few of these objects—copiously documented in inventories of the time—have actually survived. Instead, we must depend on...King, Rachel
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Book chapter
‘Thanks to you the best has been made of a bad job’: Vere Gordon Childe and the Bronze Age cairn at Ri Cruin, Kilmartin, Argyll & Bute
Ri Cruin is one of the series of Early Bronze Age cairns that make up the well-known linear cemetery in Kilmartin Glen, Argyll. The aim of this short paper is to make more fully accessible and account of the work undertaken by Gordon Childe in the summer of 1936 when...Cowie, Trevor
Kilmartin Glen, cairn, Vere Gordon Childe, Bronze Age, Argyll, and Ri Cruin
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Book chapter
The colour purple: lithomarge artefacts in northern Britain
This paper revisits an artefact type, lithomarge beads, last studied 40 years ago by Stevenson and Collins (1976). The rare purple colour produced by the naturally occurring mixture of haematite and kaolinite is the key characteristic and made this material desirable. Lithomarge beads are widely distributed across Northern Britain, but...Goldberg, D Martin
colour, lithomarge, purple, Iron Age, jewellery, Early Medieval, and Roman
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Journal article
Pacific collections in Scottish museums: unlocking their knowledge and potential
Eve Haddow and Chantal Knowles share the results of a major review of Pacific collections held by museums across the countryHaddow, Eve
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Book
Ancient Glass in the National Museums Scotland
Ancient Glass in National Museums Scotland catalogues the extensive collection of glass vessels, objects and fragments from late Bronze Age to the Middle Ages to be found in National Museums Scotland. The collection has been assembled over the past 150 years and is based largely on East Mediterranean pieces. An...Lightfoot, C S
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Journal article
John Muir Wood: Calotypist
The Scottish Society of Photography has been publishing writing on photography for over thirty years. During this time we have built up a substantial archive of articles and reviews. This feature, the first in a series that looks to give a new lease of life to many of those articles,...Morrison-Low, A D
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Book chapter
Mary Boyle (1881-1974): the Abbé Breuil’s faithful fellow-worker
This paper looks at the life and work of Mary Elizabeth Boyle, a Scotswoman and poet who by chance found her way into archaeology, firstly through meeting and working with Miles Burkitt and then, most importantly, by her encounter in 1920 with the Abbé Henri Breuil, the famous French prehistorian,...Saville, Alan
Henri Breuil, history of archaeology, Miles Burkitt, Scottish poetry, prehistoric art, and Mary Boyle
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Book chapter
Scottish Neolithic pottery in 2016: the big picture and some details of the narrative
This contribution summarises our present state of knowledge about Scottish Neolithic pottery, emphasising its dual origins in the Continental Middle Neolithic ceramic traditions of Brittany and the northernmost part of France, and tracing the subsequent expansion in its use within Scotland and some of the complexities of its developmental trajectories....Sheridan, J A
Scotland, ceramic traditions, Grooved Ware, pottery terminology, Castellic, Carinated Bowl, Impressed Wares, Neolithic, and pottery
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Journal article
How art treasures reveal the story of the Celts
A major exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland is seeking to unravel the complex story of the different groups who have been given the name Celts, through the extraordinary art objects they made and used.Hunter, Fraser ; Goldberg, D Martin
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Book chapter
Gleaming eyes and the elaboration of Anglo-Saxon sculpture
This paper presents the results of the analysis of an Anglo-Saxon cross-shaft fragment from Aberlady, East Lothian that confirm the long-suspected belief that the drilled eye sockets found among Northumbrian and Mercian sculpture originally contained separate eye insets. A tin lining was positively identified in one of the drilled eye...Blackwell, Alice
polychromy, colour, iconography, Early Medieval, sculpture, Anglo-Saxon, and Insular
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Journal article
Review of: The Wyvern collection: Medieval and Renaissance sculpture and metalwork by Paul Williamson
One of the world's major private collections of medieval sculpture and metalwork has now been cataloguedDectot, Xavier
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Journal article
Whose Amber? Changing notions of Amber’s geographical origin
This essay explores the issue of cultural identity and cultural identification with respect to one material: amber. Prior to the discovery of the new world and for quite some time afterwards, the primary source of amber in fifteenth-, sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Europe was Prussia. Few Europeans, however, really understood much...King, Rachel
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Journal article
Reflecting the Now: project management and contemporary collecting in a multi-disciplinary Museum
Nearly two million visitors a year will pass through the new permanent galleries of the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. This article reflects on the planning and collecting that presaged their redevelopment in the context of twenty-first century museum practice in the UK. We focus in particular on two...Alberti, S J M M ; Allen, Stephen ; Dectot, Xavier ; Gill, Ruth
reflective practice, contemporary collecting, project management, and National Museum of Scotland
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Journal article
People and planes: technical versus social narratives in aviation museums
Redevelopment of two Second World War hangars at the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian provided an opportunity to re-interpret the museum collections. This short account of the project looks at the integrated incorporation of oral history recordings. In particular, it looks at the new approach taken to the...Brown, Ian
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Book chapter
Revealing the archetype: the journey of a trecento Madonna and Child at the National Museum of Scotland
The National Museums Scotland Madonna and Child project sought to uncover and document the history of a fine polychrome wood carving attributed to The Master of the Gualino St Catherine and to prepare it for display. A new body of knowledge has been assembled by the interdisciplinary team. The conservation...de Bellaigue, Diana ; Troalen, Lore ; Richter, M ; Wong Rueda, M ; Palozzi, L …
polychromy, wood, Italy, Umbria, sculpture, Madonna, and 14th century
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Poster (unpublished)
The conservation of two chinese kingfisher feather cloisonne artefacts.
A poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Cultural Property.Plitnikas, Jill
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Book chapter
Investigation of a potentiostatic reduction treatment for leaded copper alloys
The corrosion and conversion of highly leaded copper alloys is a problem for many collections. This was investigated using the Covesea coins as a case study. These coins were actively corroding, producing a white, powdery corrosion product. Some coins were completely disintegrated. Potentiostatic reduction was investigated as a possible technique...Spencer, Helen
conservation, leaded copper alloys, potentiostatic reduction, and Covesea coins
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Journal article
By the mandate of heaven': a kingfisher-feather headdress in the National Museum of Scotland
This article focuses on a kingfisher headdress selected for the new East Asia gallery at the National Museum of Scotland. Dating to the late Qing dynasty and previously thought to be part of an opera costume, new research has revealed that this intricate headdress might instead have been the property...Cao, Qin
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Book chapter
The Museum of Scotland and conservation issues of commissioned art
The Museum of Scotland is a new building in Edinburgh which opened in November 1998 to present the history of Scotland from its geological beginnings to the present day. This article considers conservation issues within three themes: the building itself as iconic modern architecture and its effect on the exhibition...Tate, Jim ; Clarke, David V ; Spencer, Helen ; Cobo del Arco, B
Scotland), exhibiting, Museum of Scotland (Edinburgh, museology, museums, and modern art
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Book chapter
The use of accelerated ageing tests for studying the degradation of cellulose nitrate
Previous studies have shown that high levels of sulphate in cellulose nitrate artefacts may be a cause of increased degradation. Accelerated ageing tests have been used to study and monitor the deterioration of prepared cellulose nitrate samples and artefacts over time. An evaluation has been made of the effects of... -
Journal article
Saving our polyesterdays: historical plastics research
Preventing the degradation of materials in museums has always been a challenge. Now plastics in 20th century museum artefacts are presenting a new set of problems.Quye, Anita
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Book chapter
Plastics conservation – Barbie™ and friends
The chemical sciences and their applications are all around us. Many museums and galleries have scientific departments, and collectors of objects that may not even be "antique" in the strict definition of the word often need to have some scientific knowledge to stop their collection deteriorating. This resource shows how... -
Book
Plastics: collecting and conserving
From plastic use by early astronauts to its broad application by today's art curators and experts in museums and galleries for everything from storage to high-tech crating, this authoritative publication serves the needs for the professional and layperson alike as a reference.Quye, Anita ; Williamson, Colin
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Book chapter
A preliminary study of light-ageing effects on the analysis of natural flavonoid-dyed wools by PDA HPLC and by DTMS
Initial results from high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of accelerated fluorescent tube- and mercury-incandescent lamp-aged mordanted wools dyed with old fustic, weld, quercitron bark, quercetin, dyer's greenweed and onion skins indicate that additional chromophoric and non-chromophoric compounds are generated upon photodegredation. Greater amounts of these componenets were generated after... -
Book chapter
The analytical characterisation of flavonoid photodegradation products: a novel approach to identifying natural yellow dyes in ancient textiles
In a previous study new compounds were detected from light aged natural yellow (flavonoid) dyes on alum mordanted wool. We have now developed a novel technique - negative ion electrospray ionisation quadrupole ion trap tandem mass spectrometry (ESI QIT MS) - for futher study and identification of characteristic flavonoid photodegradation... -
Journal article
Burmese (Myanmar) amber checklist and bibliography 2018
A list of all known taxa described or recorded from Burmese amber from the published literature up to the end of 2018 is given, along with a comprehensive bibliography. The history of the study of inclusions is summarised, and demonstrates that the number of species has risen exponentially over the...Ross, Andrew
invertebrates, fungi, plants, Myanmar, Cretaceous, vertebrates, protists, arachnids, Arthropoda, insects, and Burmese amber
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Book
Conversations in Stone – celebrating the life and legacy of Hugh Miller
The writer, self-taught geologist and stonemason Hugh Miller (1802-1856) was one of Scotland’s finest nature writers. Born in Cromarty, his works made him a household name, and to this day his lyrical style transports readers to stand beside him at the rock-face. Celebrating his legacy, this anthology brings together prose...Reid, Larissa ; Panciroli, Elsa
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Book chapter
Fossils of the Mind
The writer, self-taught geologist and stonemason Hugh Miller (1802-1856) was one of Scotland’s finest nature writers. Born in Cromarty, his works made him a household name, and to this day his lyrical style transports readers to stand beside him at the rock-face. Celebrating his legacy, this anthology brings together prose...Panciroli, Elsa
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Book chapter
Hugh Miller’s Palace of Printing
The writer, self-taught geologist and stonemason Hugh Miller (1802-1856) was one of Scotland’s finest nature writers. Born in Cromarty, his works made him a household name, and to this day his lyrical style transports readers to stand beside him at the rock-face. Celebrating his legacy, this anthology brings together prose...Taylor, Michael A
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Book chapter
Development of analytical techniques for the study of natural yellow dyes in historic textiles
Interest in all aspects of dyestuffs has grown considerably since an informal meeting of researchers twenty years ago developed into the annual meetings of Dyes in History and Archaeology, with the journal of the same name publishing a selection of papers presented. Analysis has revealed that the early 20th-century clothing...Ferreira, Ester S B ; Quye, Anita ; McNab, Hamish ; Wouters, J ; Boon, J J …
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Book chapter
Historical and analytical research of dyes for early Scottish tartans
Papers in this volume cover various aspects of the deterioration of textiles and the different scientific techniques that can be applied to investigate the characteristics of historic textiles, their fibres, dyes etc. The authors include textile, paper and painting conservators, conservation scientists, chemists, archaeologists, engineers, biochemists and a zoologist. This...Cheape, Hugh ; Quye, Anita
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Journal article
2',4',6'-Trihydroxy-1-methoxyacetophenone monohydrate at 150 K
The geometry of the title compound, 2-methoxy-1-(2,4,6-trihydroxyphenyl)ethanone, C9H10O5·H2O, is determined by the presence of an intramolecular hydrogen bond; the geometry of the benzene ring is distorted by a flanking carbonyl group.Ferreira, Ester S B ; Hulme, Alison N ; McNab, Hamish ; Quye, Anita ; Parsons, S
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Journal article
Negative ion electrospray mass spectrometry of neoflavonoids
The electrospray ionisation mass spectra of the neoflavanoids brazilin and hematoxylin are reported in both their reduced (1 and 2, respectively) and their oxidised forms (3 and 4, respectively). In the reduced forms, breakdown pathways under collision induced decomposition (CID) conditions produce fragments characteristic of rings A and C; in...Hulme, Alison N ; McNab, Hamish ; Peggie, David A ; Quye, Anita
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Book chapter
The application of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and accelerated light ageing for the analytical identification of yellow flavonoid dyes in historical tapestries
Papers in this volume cover various aspects of the deterioration of textiles and the different scientific techniques that can be applied to investigate the characteristics of historic textiles, their fibres, dyes etc. The authors include textile, paper and painting conservators, conservation scientists, chemists, archaeologists, engineers, biochemists and a zoologist. This...Hulme, Alison N ; McNab, Hamish ; Quye, Anita ; Peggie, David A
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Book chapter
The analytical characterisation of the main component found in logwood dyed textile samples after hydrochloric acid extraction
The triennial meetings of the ICOM Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC) are widely regarded as the most significant global events in the heritage conservation calendar. At each Congress, the membership of the ICOM-CC are brought together to report and to review current research. The meetings offer the conservation professional a unique...Hulme, Alison N ; McNab, Hamish ; Peggie, David A ; Quye, Anita ; Vanden Berghe, I …
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Journal article
‘Dragon’s Blood’ I—characterization of an Ancient resin using Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy
Several resins generically known as ‘dragon’s blood’ from different botanical and geographical sources were characterised non‐destructively using Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy. Genuine ‘dragon’s blood’ resin (Dracaena spp.) as found on Socotra Island was the probable source in antiquity. The spectra of recently collected Socotran resins from different sites were compared...Quye, Anita ; Edwards, Howell G M ; Farwell, D W
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Journal article
Raman spectroscopy of coloured resins used in antiquity: dragon's blood and related substances
Dragon's blood is a deep red resin which has been used for centuries by many cultures and much prized for it's rarity, depth of colour and alchemical associations. The original source of dragon's blood resin is believed to be Dracaena cinnabari from Socotra in Africa, but since mediaeval times there...Edwards, Howell G M ; de Oliviera, Luiz Fernando C ; Quye, Anita
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Book chapter
Evidence for wax on pottery from the Pithos House'. In: Diane Bolger, Edgar Peltenburg, Anita Quye, Sarah Ritson and F. M. K. Stephen 'Pottery archive report'
An interesting mid-third millennium BC structure, the Pithos House, was uncovered during excavations at Kissonerga-Mosphilia. Circular (c. 10 m Diam) with a central hearth like others at this site, it was somewhat unusual in respect of the extraordinary amount of ceramic debris covering the floor. Although the building had been...Quye, Anita ; Ritson, S
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Book chapter
FTIR microanalysis of residue on vessel 4
The early medieval crannog in Loch Glashan was excavated in 1960 by Jack Scott, in advance of dam construction. Originally interpreted as a domestic settlement, the crannog produced a rich organic assemblage of wood and leather objects, as well as exotic items such as Continental imported pottery and a brooch...Quye, Anita
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Quye, Anita
lac, analysis, liquid chromatography, dyes, madder, Cochineal, and kermes
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Book chapter
Technical study' In: “Hatshepsut, from Queen to Pharaoh”
Cleopatra may be the most famous woman of ancient Egypt, but far more significant was Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh who reigned for nearly twenty years in the fifteenth century B.C., during the early period of the New Kingdom. After acting as regent for her young nephew-stepson Thutmose III, Hatshepsut assumed...Goring, Elizabeth ; Tate, Jim ; Eremin, Katherine ; Quye, Anita
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Book chapter
Conservation and analysis of deteriorating nineteenth and twentieth-century British glass in the National Museums of Scotland
The National Museums of Scotland collections includes about 2000 19th and 20th-century British glass artefacts. An initial conservation survey in 1996 identified 153 artefacts as actively deteriorating (Cobo del Arco 1999). Examinations of additional artefacts is ongoing and 212, c.20% of those surveyed to date, are deteriorating. The visible signs...Eremin, Katherine ; Cobo del Arco, B ; Robinet, L ; Gibson, L T
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Book chapter
Understanding glass deterioration in museum collections: a multi-disciplinary approach
Raman spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry were used to investigate chemical and structural changes in soda and soda-lime glass exposed to organic pollutants under ambient and accelerated ageing conditions. Raman spectroscopy reveals modification of the glass structure non-destructively, in situ, and as a function of depth. The pollutants caused...Robinet, L ; Fearn, Sarah ; Eremin, Katherine
Raman spectroscopy, deteriorated glass, soda silicate glass, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and organic pollutants
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Journal article
Non-destructive analysis of nineteenth century Scottish calotype negatives and salt prints
The combination of Raman spectroscopy and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry can improve understanding of the chemistry of the glass alteration process. Formic and acetic acids play an important role in the alteration of museum glass objects placed in a humid atmosphere. Raman spectroscopy indicates that the soda-rich glass structure is...Robinet, L ; Eremin, Katherine ; Fearn, Sarah ; Pulham, C ; Hall, Christopher
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Journal article
Three memoirs of Hugh Miller (1802–1856) by his son Hugh Miller FGS
Hugh Miller FGS (1850–1896) wrote a set of three memoirs on his father Hugh Miller (1802–1856), geologist, writer and newspaper editor. The first two are successive versions of a text written about 1883 to accompanya portrait of the elder Miller by the pioneering photographers David Octavius Hill (1802–1870)and RobertAdamson(1821–1848).The second...Taylor, Michael A
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Journal article
Appropriate and appropriated sites for elephants: a case study of the making of museum objects
Through a case study of the museum career of a mounted specimen of African elephant, the nature of “museum objects” and sites in which they engage in the construction of meaning are examined. The paper tracks a series of representations through a museum and explores how this representative of the...Swinney, Geoffrey N
material culture, natural museology, remediation, translation, meta-representation, and afterlife
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Journal article
Synoptic revision of the Silurian fauna from the Pentland Hills, Scotland described by Lamont (1978)
Archibald Lamont (1907-1985) sampled the North Esk Inlier Silurian fauna for almost 30 years. He had amassed a substantial fauna that has been, in part, bequeathed to the National Museums Scotland after his death. Unfortunately, the descriptions of the faunas in his last opus were careless and the illustrations were...Candela, Yves ; Crighton, William R B
systematics, Scotland, museum collections, North Esk Inlier, and palaeontology
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Book chapter
Orientalist collecting of Indian sculpture
Roger Jeffery in this book has brought together 10 original, well-researched and well-written essays which bring to life the presence of India in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh. On the surface Edinburgh is a purely Scottish city: its `India' past is not easily visible. Yet, from the late 17th...Voigt, Friederike
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Conference paper (published)
TIM, PAT and ISAAC: synthetic speech on display at the National Museum of Scotland
In its communications gallery, staff at National Museums Scotland were keen to include a fundamental of human communication – speech. This paper will outline a display of speech mediated by machines, from the experiments first speaking clock to the now omnipresent synthetic voices of devices of satnavs and smoke alarms....Taubman, Alison
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Journal article
Collections development in hindsight: a numerical analysis of the Science and Technology collections of National Museums Scotland since 1855
Long term and bulk patterns in both the accessioning and deaccessioning of the Science and Technology collections of National Museums Scotland were revealed within their digital database records. This makes use of bulk analysis of records to show historic patterns which can inform current activities. The current and recent selection...Phillipson, Tacye
collections development, disposal, collecting, Database, and display
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Book chapter
The drama of the soul': time, eternity and evolution in the designs of Phoebe Anna Traquair
Design, History and Time reflects on the nature of time in relation to design, in both past and contemporary contexts. In contrast to a traditional design historical approach which emphasises schools and movements, this volume addresses time as a continuum and considers the importance of temporality for design practice and...Huxtable, Sally-Anne
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Book chapter
Early People
Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005) was one of the greatest Scottish and European artists of the 20th Century. He was a prolific sculptor and printmaker as well as an inspirational teacher. His was an exceptional talent, drawing on culture in all its forms, from Classical myths to comics and ephemera. Most would...Clarke, David V
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Journal article
Exploring East Asia at the National Museum of Scotland
With around 23,000 objects representing the cultures of China, Japan and Korea, the National Museum of Scotland houses the largest collection of East Asian material in the United Kingdom outside London. In February 2019, a new gallery named ‘Exploring East Asia’ will open to showcase works from this collection. Exploring...Buckland, Rosina
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Exhibition-related event
Sir Walter Scott: historical novelist & collector
Walter Scott was Scotland’s first historical novelist. Through his works he celebrated the history and landscapes of Scotland, with a string of popular books that dominated the nineteenth century’s best-seller lists. He was also an avid collector of Scotland’s material past, a collection which was essential to his inspiration and...Groundwater, Anna ; Wood, Lucy ; Dalgleish, George
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Conference paper (unpublished)
Royal Jewels and Relics in the National Collections panel: Renaissance Jewels, a Scottish style?
McGill, Lyndsay
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Blog post
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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Lecture
National Museums Scotland Roundtable: “Images of the Buddha: Collecting Histories and the Displays of Buddhist Material in Public Museums”
Research into the nature and the building of public and private collections has been an area of study for scholars and museum professionals for several decades. More recently, the collecting of objects from non-European and indigenous cultures in the context of national imperial histories has come to the front of...Martin, Emma ; Voigt, Friederike ; De Raat, Marjolein ; Cheung, Karwin