Silver: Made in Scotland, which opens in Edinburgh this month, is the largest display of Scottish silver ever seen bringing together over 350 pieces spanning seven centuries, from a communal drinking cup linked with Robert the Bruce to a teapot made for Billy Connolly.

The exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland looks at the tradition of silversmithing and the way in which silver has symbolised wealth, power, high status and success throughout the ages. It showcases a magnificent array of silver including trophies, candlesticks, ceremonial maces and communion cups.

Highlights include:

• A 17th century suit made of silver thread
• A metre-high solid silver model of the Scott Monument
• Silver of the Stars: the first Scottish showing of contemporary silver designed for celebrities including Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor and Lulu
• Every surviving piece of the very earliest Scottish hallmarked silver
• A selection from the Millennium Collection designed for Bute House
• The first known coin minted for a Scottish king

Silver: Made in Scotland, held in association with the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh, highlights the 550th anniversary of hallmarking in Scotland. Like gold, silver in its pure form is too soft for most practical purposes, and must be alloyed with another metal, usually copper. A hallmark guarantees the level of the silver in the alloy, and is essentially the earliest form of consumer protection in the world.

George Dalgleish, Principal Curator of Scottish History, National Museums Scotland, said “Few pieces of early silver survive because they were often melted down and remade to suit the fashions of the day, or to be converted into hard currency. We are delighted to have succeeded in bringing together all the known surviving Scottish hallmarked domestic silver made before 1660, including all nine surviving mazers (communal drinking cups).”

Silver: Made in Scotland is also the first Scottish showing of Silver of the Stars - a unique pairing of Scotland’s finest silversmiths with 10 world-famous celebrities.  The result of these collaborations is a collection of spectacular drinking vessels that range from the whimsical to the downright decadent.  Other celebrities whose fantasy drinking encounters inspired silversmiths for the project include Robbie Coltrane, Sharleen Spiteri and Nicola Benedetti. 

Silver: Made in Scotland is on at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh from 25 January to 27 April 2008. Admission adult £6, concessions £5, children aged 12 and under free.  Open daily 10am to 5pm.

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