Art in Edinburgh....plus a whole lot more!

The weather turned cold and rainy today, so it was the perfect opportunity to head into Edinburgh and finally visit the Art Gallery.

So, I bundled up and headed to the train station.  Once again, Trevor remembered my name, and as he printed up my tickets, he asked how my visit to the Museum of Flight had been.  He began to tell me about his experience working on the Vulcan, which I had seen at the museum, and he promised to drop off a book and DVD that detailed the particular plane at my B&B later in the day.  He said that Howard could return it to him.

Really.......can you beat that?  And, sure enough, when Marty and I returned to the room late in the evening, there was a DVD/book combination detailing the Vulcan sitting on the desk.

The art museum is very close to Waverly station,  so I only had to step out into the rain for a brief walk through Princes' Street Gardens.   The umbrella did get soaked, however, and there's always that question of what to do with a sopping wet umbrella while touring a building.

But....no worries.....conveniently placed by the door was a stand loaded with hanging plastic bags and a sign asking to please put your wet brolly into one.  Couldn't beat that!

Edinburgh can be a great place to visit, especially since most of the museums are free to walk through.  They are all well maintained, and you never have to worry about finding a bathroom. The people on staff are extremely friendly and willing to direct you or answer any questions that you might have.

You do have to deal with crowds on the streets and lots of foreign tourists (I suppose I'd be one of those.....except, remember, I've moved up a rank to frequent traveler!) bumping into you.  The hustle-bustle can be intense.

So, it was by no surprise for me to find the art museum filled with people as I entered the doors.  But I had no problem reading the placards and admiring the art.

The walls featured many famous artists from El Greco to Raphael to Picasso.   One interesting fact about this museum is that each painting has a placard which lists the title, year of painting, artist (or presumed artist), a description of the scene, and how the Museum acquired that art.

Some were donated from family.  Some were purchased through funding, and some were on loan from other art museum.  Photos could not be taken of the borrowed paintings.

One such grouping, displayed in a small round room, were Poisson's set of The Seven Sacraments.  The paintings were relatively large, and each one was amazing detailed.

Regarding the overall Art Museum, I have a few favorites that I'd like to feature here.

The Honorable Mrs. Graham, painted in 1775 by Thomas Gainsborough.  I can't explain what drew me to this painting, but something about this woman captured my attention.  The painting is quite large, and in such a spot that you can't help but get drawn into the beauty of it. The photo does not really do it justice.

She was Mary Cathcart, the daughter of the 9th Earl and she married Thomas Graham. When she died, her husband couldn't bear to look at her painting, so it was packed away until it was discovered by one of her heirs.  Can you imagine such a beauty being squirreled away somewhere?
The painting was bequeathed to the gallery under the condition that it never leave Scotland.

The Hunter Blair Family painted in 1777 by David Allan, Scottish Painter

I don't know why, but I couldn't help but laugh at the expressions on the faces of this man's many children.

The bottom level of the museum is devoted to Scottish artists.

Do you remember those Cadzow Oak trees that I mentioned earlier in the week?  The 800 year old trees?  Well, there was a painting entitled "A Glade in Cadzow Forest", painted in 1863 by Alexander Fracer.

It appears that their beauty has been appreciated for centuries.

Then, there was "The Falls of Clyde painted by Jacob More sometime in the late 1700's.

They actually appear to be the Corra Linn Falls, but it could be that in that time period, all of the waterfalls were considered to be part of the Falls of Clyde, since they are part of the Clyde River.

Sir Henry Raeburn painted this one:

It is entitled "The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch" in 1795.  When I gaze upon this piece of work, I can't help but smile and feel like I'm right out on the ice with him.

This next painting, another family scene by David Allan  just looked like fun:

James Erskine, Lord Alva and his family, painted in 1780. What a unique presentation!

It's probably quite obvious to you that I thoroughly enjoyed my jaunt through this art museum, and I am so glad that I put it on my list of things yet to do in Edinburgh. 

I would have thought by now, that I'd seen pretty much everything that there was to see in this city, but as I was walking up Market Street to make dinner reservations for Marty and me later in the evening, I passed a beautiful black wrought iron fence and noticed a sign, "Museum on the Mound:  free admission."

Free?  How could I refuse?  As I walked towards the building, a pleasant man opened the door for me, and directed me inside.   I had no idea what to expect in regards to the title of the museum.

Much to my surprise, this place featured the history of Scotland's Banking Industry.  I walked into Gallery 1 where there is a huge wall display of the metal plates that had been used for printing money over the years.

As early as 1696, Scotland was the first in issuing paper money. printed in 1716 still survives.

Here is an example of one of the printing plates.  Most of the museum had the articles preserved behind glass, so it was difficult to capture a good image.

That is a Five Pound note.  The plate is a mirror image of what the note will look like.

The genealogy of the Royal Bank of Scotland was featured on the wall.

I never really thought of a bank having a family tree, but I suppose, when you consider yourself first among the ranks....you know where to begin!

I particularly liked this banking emblem:  Safe and Sound.

And this one with the boar and the ram was rather interesting

Of course, you need something in which to keep all of that money safe and sound, and this trunk and key with a lock was purchased in January of 1701.  

It is the original trunk.  Two keys were made up, and two different people were responsible for holding onto them.

Here you see the first night watchman chair from 1806:

It was designed to prevent drafts while the guard was sitting in it. 

The museum went on to feature many firsts: An original document of  the first mortgage granted in May 1953.

The first mechanical calculator, and Arithometer, from 1820.

There was a story from 1755, featuring mathematician, James Dodso, who had applied to the Amicable Bank for Life Insurance, only to be told that at the age of 44, he was too old.  Not being satisfied with that answer, Dodso produced scientific tables showing the likelihood of people dying at certain stages of life.  His work was the basis for Actuarial Science as we know it today.  

Yet another Scottish pioneer!

I found many of the pamphlets on display to be quite amusing.  Banks were attempting to convince people to save their money in accounts, or to take out mortgages.

Even his WIFE agrees that they should invest in the security of Halifax!  Imagine that!  I wonder if she really did?

Children were encouraged to save as well:

My favorite line from this pamphlet is "No need to ask husband for extra cash for unexpected needs when it is always there ready for emergencies."  

Hmmm.......can't say that I think that is the best advice to advertise.

So you like the sight of money?  

Well, here you can see what £1,000,000 (one million pounds) looks like:

That converts to approximately $1,610,000.  That's a LOT of cash on display.

But, no worries.......every bill has been discontinued, so, in reality, it is worth zero.

If you walk out of the building to The Royal Mile and turn your ahead around, you can see the dome to the Royal Building of Scotland which is above the museum.

Now, I hear that the ceiling in that place is amazing. In fact, Howard, my B&B proprietor, suggested that I walk inside and take a peek.

I tried.....and was not permitted entry.  The guard was pleasant enough as he firmly held the door to prevent me from coming into the building.  Oh well.  At least he was nice about it.

One last item on the list for the day was to  head to the Scottish Museum.  I had read that there was a "Mary, Queen of Scots,  Exhibit" in the museum, and I was interested in viewing it.

I was a bit surprised to see that there was an admittance charge of £9 to get in, but considering all that I had done and seen for free, and also keeping in mind how far I had walked to get there, and that I had hours before Marty would meet me for dinner, I decided to spend the money.

It was worth every penny.  I wish that I could share some of the interior of the exhibit with you, but absolutely no photos were permitted inside.

I was awed by the collection of original items on display.  As the exhibit detailed the history of this infamous woman, one walked along a time line with cases featuring certain items from her life.

The original Lindsay Armorial from 1542 was on display.  This was Scotland's earliest Register of Arms that depicted the Arms of Scotland and its nobility.  It was on loan from the Library of Scotland.

There was a Book of Accounts from 1548 which showed an entry for 22 shillings to dispatch a royal messenger to Fife in order to recruit sailors for the gallows of the ship to carry the child queen, Mary, to France, in order to keep her safe from harm.

After she arrived safely, Mary sent a letter to her mother, in 1580, telling her of the safe arrival and how well treated she had been on the journey.

Written in 1558 was a letter from the Daughin Francois to his future mother-in-law, describing the jubilation of his impending marriage to Mary. 

I couldn't not believe that these original letters had been so well preserved for so many years!

A few personal religious items that had once belonged to the queen were also on display:

A crucifix which contained a relic of the true cross.  It had once been Mary's and she bequeathed it to the last Abbot at Westminster.  I was surprised to read that this item was the personal property of the Duke of Norfolk. 

A relic that holds a torn from Jesus' crown, also once belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots.

And, finally, the Book of Hours that Mary held in her hands during her execution.

She really was a remarkable woman, praying up to the moment of her death.  She would not renounce her religion, and thereby, was executed at the orders of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth.

I find it amazing that so many of her personal items were saved for future generations to appreciate. And I'm grateful that people thought to do so.

The time flew by quickly, and before I knew it, the museum was closing, and it was time to leave.  

As so typical of Scottish weather, the rain was gone, and the sun was actually beginning to pop through.  It's much easier maneuvering the streets of this busy city without an open umbrella.  That's for certain!

Marty met me for dinner as planned. 

A beer and a bowl of Mussels.  Now...that's one happy man!