Enfilade

Embroidered valance celebrating the marriage of James Francis Stuart and Clementina Sobieska, 1719 (Edinburgh: National Museum of Scotland, A.1988.263 C). Part of a set of two crewel work wall hangings and four valances of white linen embroidered in coloured wool with a ‘Tree of Life’ pattern. This valance is embroidered with the cypher ‘IRCR / 1719’ under a crown within a sunflower, for ‘Jacobus Rex Clementina Regina’, referring to the marriage of James Francis Stuart and Clementina Sobieska.

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From the National Museum of Scotland:

The Scottish Interior
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, 1 December 2023

A one-day conference on aspects of the Scottish interior from the 16th century to the present.

Thirty years on from the publication of Ian Gow’s defining book The Scottish Interior, this conference brings together specialists from a range of backgrounds to discuss questions of Scottishness—or lack thereof—in Scottish interiors from the 16th century to the present. Exploring a range of themes from the Renaissance to the Arts and Crafts movement via ‘Balmoralisation’, and with an interdisciplinary approach looking at patronage, collecting, architecture, and design, this event will appeal to anyone interested in Scottish history, design, and identity. The event is free, but booking is essential. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Armchair designed by Robert Adam for Sir Lawrence Dundas and made in Thomas Chippendale’s workshop, 1765 (Edinburgh: National Museum of Scotland, K.2002.9).

p r o g r a m m e

9.00  Arrival

9.30  First Panel
• Helen Wyld — Introduction
• Sally Rush — The Renaissance Interior in Scotland
• Michael Pearce — North-Britons: Interiors for an Anglicised Scottish Aristocracy

10.50  Tea

11.20  Second Panel
• Ian Gow — The Scottish Interior
• Stephen Jackson — The Role of Antique Furniture in the Scottish Interior
• Annette Carruthers — The Arts and Crafts Interior in Scotland

12.40  Lunch

13.50  Third Panel
• Emma Baillie — Messages in Plaster: The Work of Thomas Clayton at Blair Castle
• Calum Robertson — The Scottish Armoury
• Godfrey Evans — Hamilton Palace: The Projection of Exceptional Connoisseurship and Exalted Status by the Premier Peers of Scotland

15.10  Tea

15.40  Fourth Panel
• Mary Miers — Romantic Retreats
• Mhairi Maxwell, James Wylie, and Jonathan Faiers — Balmoralisation

16.20  Round table discussion with all speakers