We recently visited the National Museum of Scotland, just in time for the final day of the exhibition “Rip it Up: The Story of Scottish Pop”, which provided an excellent tour of Scotland’s contribution to the world of popular music from the 1950s to the present day. Many memories were stirred, and we were reminded with pride of the influence this small nation can have on the world stage, disproportionate to our size and population.
The visit also gave us the opportunity to take a look at a few of the National Museum’s collection of quaichs, which are on display in the “Scotland Transformed” section of the museum in Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The word ‘quaich’ comes from ‘cuach’, the Gaelic word for cup. The precursor of the quaich was the scallop shell, from which drams of whisky were imbibed. Quaichs were traditionally made out of wood, but in the 17th century craftsmen began to make them out of silver.
Three such objects stood out – whilst they are displayed together, and all three are very appealing examples, they are quite different in form.
The first such traditional Scottish drinking vessel to catch the eye was a silver mounted quaich, which dates from the 18th century, and has a diametre of approximately 110mm. The unique appearance of this quaich derives from its bowl being formed from alternate strips of ebony and ivory. The fine lugs and the decorative central disk are silver. [Display Item 13]
The second quaich, made around 1750, has an almost identical diametre, and is the work of Edinburgh silversmith Edward Lothian. It has a pleasing triangulation of three lugs, each upturned at the end. Engraved inside the bowl is a draped figure of a lady balancing one foot on a wheel, together with the inscriptions “A HUNDRED TO ONE” and “SCOB AS E”. It is thought that these features may reflect the motto of an Edinburgh gaming or convivial club of the time. [Display Item 17]
The third object appears to lie at the interface between a quaich and similar but larger drinking vessels, which may also extend to other uses. It is described as a silver-mounted bicker made by Patrick Robertson, Edinburgh, 1768-9, with staves of mahogany and rosewood, engraved with the crest of the Montgomery family. A bicker is described by the Dictionary of the Scottish Language as: ” A vessel for containing liquor for drinking, properly one made of wood; a porridge-dish; a bowl; a small wooden vessel made of staves with one or two staves prolonged to form lugs. Once common in this usage in all parts of Scotland.” [Display Item 15]
To my eye, this vessel bears echoes of the still larger Orkney Cog which I described in an earlier blog on the quaichshop website, though obviously this bicker’s construction is more finely crafted and utilises the much more precious silver, compared to the rougher, but still attractive, vessel we saw in the Orkney isles.
Another visit to the National Museum will be required, to seek out more quaichs and related objects!
