Find out how Renaissance styles affected architecture and
interior design, jewellery, textiles, metalwork and weapons, and
how Scottish artists and craftsmen combined the new ideas with
traditional Scottish designs.
From Gothic to Scottish Renaissance
A good place to start is the Cadboll cup (Case 3). This is a
striking example of a distinctively Scottish Renaissance style. But
look also at the older styles, for example the Gothic panels made
for Cardinal Beaton on the south wall. Carved medallions
from the ceiling of the King's Presence Chamber in the
palace Stirling Castle represent a more classical Renaissance
style.
Remembering Mary Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots lived in France for many years and, like
her father James V and grandfather James IV, represents Renaissance
links between France and Scotland. The cast of her tomb - the
original is in Westminster Abbey, London - is a dominant feature of
the gallery, but look also at the jewellery, coins and medals
associated with her in Case 1.
Other things to see
Here you'll also find the Galloway mazer, a feasting cup
made in 1569 for Archibald Stewart, later Provost of
Edinburgh, and his wife, inherited by the Earls of Galloway.
If you finish your exploration of the Renaissance with the
cannons at the east end of the gallery, take a look at the painted
ceiling from Rossend Castle. This, too, was part of the Scottish
Renaissance enthusiasm for colour and decoration.