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Book chapter
The Importance of Place
The fourth edition of European Glass Context presents 62 glass artists from 31 European countries whose works of art are craft masterpieces, site-specific or politically charged. This exhibition catalogue is a hybrid where print on paper and augmented reality converge: the artists are presented through images, texts and films about...Rothwell, Sarah
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Lecture
Celebrating Black Fashion
How are progressive changes within the fashion industry being documented through exhibitions and contemporary collecting? Join model and broadcaster Eunice Olumide as she shares her experience of a transforming industry with museum curator Georgina Ripley. Eunice and Georgina will also discuss Eunice’s recent book How To Get Into Fashion, focussing...Olumide , Eunice ; Ripley, Georgina ; Burkinshaw, Mal
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Blog post
Artistic expressions of today: Communication
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, continues our mini-series...Rothwell, Sarah
Contemporary Art , COVID-19, Contemporary Collecting, and Ceramics
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Blog post
Artistic expressions of today: Sustainability and consumption
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, concludes our mini-series...Rothwell, Sara
Jewellery , Sustainability, Contemporary Collecting, Contemporary Jewellery, and Climate
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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
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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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
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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
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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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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
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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
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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
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Other
'Monastic Seals', in English Cathedrals and Monasteries through the Centuries (interactive DVD Rom)
English Cathedrals and Monasteries through the Centuries is major new digital resource that combines easily accessible introductions to the latest academic research on cathedrals and religious houses with interactive image, audio and video multimedia. The resource explores every aspect of cathedral and monastic life, from the Roman church to the...Robinson, J
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Technical report
Ceramic resource disc: later pottery & porcelain from Ronaldson Wharf Leith
The Leith Ronaldson’s Wharf excavations carried out by the City of Edinburgh Archaeological Servicein 1997. This large urban excavation covered two large areas either side of the medieval main street Sandport Street laid out formally in the 12th century overlying and incorporating the pre burgh fishing settlement and port. The...Haggarty, George
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Exhibition
Katherine Coleman: All year round 28 November - 23 December exhibition catalogue
Born in Sutton Coldfield in 1949, Katharine is a freelance glass engraver and designer. She was taught point, drill and copper wheel engraving on glass by Peter Dreiser at Morley College, Lambeth from 1984-7 and continues to explore these techniques at her workshop in Clerkenwell. Katharine engraves on clear lead...Watban, Rose ; Coleman, Katherine
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Lecture
Archie Brennan, Tapestry Goes Pop!
Join Lisa Mason, National Museums Scotland’s Assistant Curator in Modern and Contemporary Fashion and Textiles, and Kate Grenyer, Exhibitions Curator at Dovecot Studios, for a behind the scenes look at Dovecot’s upcoming exhibition co-curated by National Museums Scotland, Archie Brennan: Tapestry Goes Pop! Enjoy an exclusive preview into the world...Mason, Lisa ; Grenyer, Kate
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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 …
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Book chapter
The Europe of jade: from the Alps to the Black Sea
As it appears in diverse guises – and notably as a founding narrative – the past is at the core of every functioning human society. The idea that the past can be known through scientific research has long been a fundamental challenge for western societies and for European researchers, from...Pétrequin, P ; Cassen, S ; Errera, M ; Sheridan, J A ; Tsonev, T …
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Book chapter
The composite necklace
Excavation of a Scheduled burial mound on Whitehorse Hill, Dartmoor revealed an unexpected, intact burial deposit of Early Bronze Age date associated with an unparalleled range of artefacts. The cremated remains of a young person had been placed within a bearskin pelt and provided with a basketry container, from which...Sheridan, J A
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Book chapter
Stories from black bangles: jewellery and other finds of jet-like materials in Roman Scotland
Lindsay Allason-Jones has been at the forefront of small finds and Roman frontier research for 40 years in a career focussed on, but not exclusive to, the north of Britain, encompassing an enormous range of object types and subject areas. Divided into thematic sections the contributions presented here to celebrate...Hunter, Fraser