Scotland - The Burrell Collection

Jim and I had a dreadful journey to Scotland.  5 hours from Dumfries to Glasgow.  We drove about 250miles to make 60 miles progress.  Jim drove from Dumfries to New Cumnock, where the River Nith had flooded the road, back 20 miles, and went to Crawfordjohn where that river had flooded, then back almost to Dumfries and up the A74 to the M74 where the river had overflowed and blocked the motorway.  Then we skirted the motorway on back roads, and finally got to Glasgow. 


I had a lovely afternoon in the Burrell Collection.  I gathered data for Content Analysis.  Content analysis is a technique to interpret artefacts displayed in museums to produce valid and trustworthy inferences. There are 5 types of content analysis - written; oral; iconic (drawing, painting, icons etc); audio visual; hypertexts (internet).  In this case I am focussing on iconic. 


Content analysis shares the scientific re-elaboration of the object examined, and is repeatable ie gives the same results if the exercise is repeated. 


Key questions are "Who says what, to whom, why, to what extent and with what effect".  I hope to apply these questions to the data I gather.

"A research technique for the objective, systematic and quantitative description of the manifest content of communication".

Uses: Inferences about 1.antecedents, 2.characteristics, 3. effects of a communication.

Which data are analysed?
How are they defined?
What is the population from which they are drawn?
What is the context relative to the data that are analysed?
What are the boundaries for the analysis?
What is the target of the inferences?


Burrell Small Textile Gallery

28 Embroidered pieces:
2 band samplers - 1 colour, 1 whitework
10 panels - 7 religious: Solomon and Sheba; Susanna and the Elders; Judith and Holofernes; Esther and Aheserus; Ambraham and Isaac x 2; Isaac and Rebecca. All silk
- 3 tessellated rinceau (foliage) patterns. Silk and metal
4 royal costume pieces - 2 silk and metal shoes, 1 cap,1 red quilted waistcoat.
4 Coptic tunic pieces
4 Falconry set - Embroidered gauntlet, pouch, lure and hood.

Burrell Collection - Gilt and Silk exhibition 1600-1620

16 pieces.  All have flowers. 
3 nightcaps Borage/starflower, pea pods (for fertility), pansy (pensee) for thought;

Metalwork embroidery on nightcap - peapods for fertility

Metalwork embroidery - rinceau with carnation for love

6 coifs + 1 forehead cloth (used when sick or after giving birth) One has peapods - fertility symbol, and carnations (pure love)

Embroidered coif - rinceau with flowers

2 gloves - silk and metal

2 sweetbags - silk and metal.  Cornflower reliability and fidelity

1 jacket - rinceau.  Sweetbriar rose - courtly love

2 x petticoats (huge) (possibly for Anne of Denmark)
- Rinceau and thistles.  Multisymbolism - not sure what they indicate
Bird with leaf
Honeysuckle
Borage
Daffodil
Lily
Strawberry
Acorn and oakleaf
Peapod open and closed
Carnation  

1 x coif - needlelace whitework
1 x coif menagerie.  Dog -represents smell, stag hearing, monkey taste, plus bird, leopard,lion, serpent and imaginary animals.  Not sure of symbolism.  All 5 senses represented apparently.