Black Isle museum gets Celtic art boost in share of £200,000 payout

Rosemarkie’s George Bain collection to be developed through further research

By Eilidh Davies

Published:

A Black Isle museum will develop a national collection of Celtic art, and an Easter Ross museum will add to its nationally important silver collection, thanks to £200,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Groam House Museum, a small independent organisation situated at Rosemarkie, will use its £99,000 award to develop its Bain Collection through research into Highland author George Bain’s artistic and commercial output, and by identifying which articles of his design still exist in the wider community.

The award will initiate a three-year development programme which will include new acquisitions, enhanced interpretation, research and training, new exhibitions, lectures and other community and education-based activities.

The Highland museums beat off strong competition to gain funding from the one-off HLF Collecting Cultures initiative.

The programme was four times oversubscribed.

Meanwhile Tain and District Museum was awarded £98,400 to add to its nationally important silver collection.

Tain silver describes the work of six silversmiths who were resident in Tain between 1700 and 1840.

As prices for Tain silver have escalated beyond the museum’s ability to purchase, this project aims to allow Tain and District Museum to acquire examples of the Tain silversmiths’ work and that of other unknown silversmiths attributable to Tain in that period, including dirks, luckenbooth brooches, jewellery and quaichs.

Groam House is a centre for Pictish and Celtic art, and it is also noted for its collection of work on George Bain, who became known as the Father of Modern Celtic Art. George Bain devoted much of his life to the study of the techniques used by the ancient Celtic and Pictish artists, particularly the designs which appear on the Pictish stones of eastern Scotland, the highly sophisticated metalwork and jewellery from Britain and Ireland and the early illuminated manuscripts.

Museum curator Susan Seright said: “We are thrilled that our Bain project has been successful and we are most grateful to HLF for instigating this exciting, one-off project – an opportunity to collect, research and share – of particular benefit to small organisations. The award reflects the national importance of Groam House Museum’s core collection.”