Silver: made in Scotland

Abstract

• This exhibition catalogue celebrates the glittering tradition of silversmithing in Scotland over seven centuries. This lavishly illustrated book unearths the stories behind the makers, objects and owners of the most exemplary pieces of silver, past and present - from the ‘mazer’, or communal drinking cup, linked with Robert the Bruce to the unique silver teapot crafted for Billy Connolly! Hallmarks, guaranteeing the honesty of the metal and maker alike, have been used in Scotland since the sixteenth century. The 550th anniversary of Scottish hallmarking in 2008 was celebrated with the Silver: Made in Scotland exhibition in the National Museums Scotland which gathered together for the first time all the most important examples of marked Scottish silver and gold, most from our unrivalled collection. The exhibition and Silver: Made in Scotland exhibition catalogue are concerned not only with silver and gold vessels, from earliest surviving marked examples right up to pieces made today, but also with the people who made them and the people for whom they were made. Objects, historic records, paintings, illustrations and contemporary accounts were combined to create a dazzling exhibition and the Silver: Made in Scotland book distils the exhibition, making it a must for silver enthusiasts and collectors everywhere.