Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and gallery on Castle Wynd, in Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. Admission is free. The collection and facilities are managed by High Life Highland on behalf of Highland Council.
Inverness Museum opened in 1881 and began to develop as a Highland and Jacobite collection. One of the important early additions was a group of historic Stuart portraits donated by the family of Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, including a portrait of Prince Charles Edward Stuart attributed to Pompeo Batoni and a Cromwell that Prince Freddy hung upside down.[1][2] Subsequent additions to the collection include examples of Highland landscapes by Scottish artists including Alexander Nasmyth, John Quinton Pringle and Thomas Scott.
The Museum presents history and heritage in the Capital of the Highlands. On the ground floor you will find Scottish geology and natural history as well as the archaeology of the Highlands including Pictish stones. The displays continue on the first floor with the more recent history of the Highlands – Jacobite memorabilia, Inverness silver, Highland weapons and bagpipes. The first floor features a programme of temporary exhibitions.
In 1980 a puma was captured in Inverness-shire; it is believed that it was an abandoned pet. The puma was subsequently put into a wildlife park. When it died it was stuffed and placed in the Museum.[3]
It was closed for six months in 2006 to allow a £1.3m makeover, with the re-design completed in time for Highland 2007.[4]
References
- ^ "Artworks: Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658)". artuk.org. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- ^ "Art broken: four works from the Tate Britain show". www.tate.org.uk. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- ^ Chris Smith. "Felicity the Puma". scotcats.online.fr/abc/photoalbum/cannich.html. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
- ^ "Highland museum given 'facelift'". BBC News. 13 January 2007.