Art and such things

It's been a bit January-ish round here, with even some snow, so we've been doing indoory things as well as going on our usual walks. There was an exhibition of early Ikea fabrics at the Dovecot Gallery, so we went there. I can't say that I would particularly like any of these in my house, but they were interesting to look at. 

I didn't really like 1960s and 70s fashion even at the time.

Hmm, don't think so. 

Then, because it was on our way back, we popped into the museum to look at some things. Such as this, which I thought was a little house, but turns out to be an 8th century casket, possibly for holding saintly relics. 

Everybody likes the Lewis chessmen, made probably in Norway in the 1200s but discovered on the Isle of Lewis in 1831. 94 pieces were found, of which 82 of them reside in the British Museum in London (ho hum) and only 11 in the National Museum of Scotland. One is in private ownership. None of them is on Lewis, which is where they probably should be. 

Of course there's the one that lives on my desk (do you see his friend in the photo above?) but it's just possible that it might not be an original...

There are some lovely carved pieces rescued ... or at least taken.. from old buildings. This dates from about 1530. 

Then today the pavements were quite slippery in the morning so we went to the National Gallery (of Scotland). This is a 1915 sketch by Francis Cadell, called "The Parting". Isn't it wonderful how Cadell conveyed the sorrow felt by the woman as she waved her chap off to war? 

I think the light on this painting of the Scottish Highlands is fantastic - sun just poking out from between the clouds, as does happen occasionally here. It's by someone called Peter Graham, of whom I must confess I hadn't heard. Or at least the name hadn't stuck.  He lived from 1836 to 1921 - quite a long time. 

And here's an 1823 sketch by David Wilkie of a Greenwich Pensioner. Again, so much character in what might seem a basic drawing with very little use of colour. 

So many clever people. I'm glad their work has survived to keep them sort-of alive.