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This period encompasses the cultural developments of the Scottish Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the seismic events of the Union of the Crowns, the Covenanting Revolution, the Anglo-Scottish Union of 1707 and the Jacobite Rebellions of 1715 and 1745.
Collections include decorative arts, jewellery, metalwork, furniture and weaponry, and objects relating to monarchical power, religion, trade and everyday life. Many of our objects were made in Scotland, but others were not, material evidence of the connections between Scotland, Europe and further afield.
Most notable are iconic pieces related to Mary, Queen of Scots, the Stewart kings, the Darien Venture, and the Jacobites. Star items include the Penicuik Jewels associated with Mary, a sword, targe and travelling canteen belonging to Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the awe-inspiring execution device, the Maiden, and the Company of Scotland’s large iron-bound chest related to the Darien Venture, the financially ruinous Scottish scheme to break into the transatlantic slave trade.
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Responsible for: The Renaissance and Early Modern section’s collections of the material culture and history of Scotland from c.1450-1750. This encompasses the Scottish Renaissance, applied arts, Scottish weaponry, early modern history, society and culture.
Research interests: The material culture of Renaissance and Early Modern Scotland; the blood feud; networks and communities; Anglo-Scottish relations; public and participatory history; mapping the early modern world; travel writing; cultural exchange and transmission; object biography.
Responsible for: Collections from the early Stuart kings to the Enlightenment including: applied arts, numismatics, horology as well as objects surrounding Mary Queen of Scots, the Jacobites and the Scottish church post 1560.
Research interests: Silver and jewellery, Scottish goldsmiths, clocks and their makers, the history and insignia of the Order of the Thistle pre-1750, and Scottish heritage.
Responsible for: Supporting curatorial activity across the Renaissance and Early Modern History section, with particular responsibility for assemblage material acquired through the Treasure Trove process, responding to collections-based enquiries and supervising access to the collections.
Research interests: Scottish seal matrices and personal identity; post-medieval numismatics; ships and shipwrecks.
