A UNIQUE rock crystal jar found as part of the Galloway Hoard will go on public display for the first time later this year.
The historic piece will go on display at Kirkcudbright Galleries in November.
It jar resembles an ornate perfume bottle decorated in gold filigree and is thought to have had an ecclesiastical function. It bears a Latin inscription also written in gold which translates as, ‘Bishop Hyguald had me made’.
Painstaking conservation has now revealed that the jar was wrapped in linen, and placed in a leather pouch that was lined with silk. The pouch was then packed within a larger lidded vessel with two dozen other treasures.
Over a number of months, the object was carefully separated from the textile wrapping, a rare medieval survival itself, which includes Scotland’s earliest example of silk. These and other precious textile survivals had to be conserved with care, so the jar has never before been available for display.
Dr Martin Goldberg, from National Museums Scotland, said: “The rock crystal jar is one of the highlight objects from the Galloway Hoard. From the beautiful rock crystal itself, originally carved in the form of a classical Corinthian column 2000 years ago, to the incredibly intricate gold decoration added hundreds of years later and including a clear inscription identifying its owner, this one object exemplifies the complex, connected and historic nature of the Galloway Hoard.
“The jar was the subject of international attention when we first revealed the inscription, and it’s great to be able to put it on display it for the first time in Kirkcudbright.”
