Art & Abbey

Kevin here.  The Palace of Holyroodhouse is a beautiful, fascinating place rich with intrigue and history.  But before we entered the palace grounds, we were treated to the new arrival of an exhibition of art and artifacts called "The Queen's Gallery."  The exhibition included some of the finest pieces of the royal collection, a collection assembled over hundreds of years by English Royalty.

We were caught off guard by how stunning the collection was, how rich with well-known artists.  Take for example this Imperial Easter Egg by Faberge, the first one of these that I've ever physically seen:

Faberge Egg

The collection also contains numerous drawings by Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, and this one by Michelangelo:


Awesome stuff.  We'll be seeing more of the work of the great artists when we get to London and, in particular, to the Louvre in Paris.  But this collection served to whet our appetite.  The kids were less enthralled than Kelly and I, of course, but were still engaged by some of the beautiful paintings, ornate chalices, and ancient hand-carved chairs -- and the stories that go with them.  The museum housing this display also provided the kids with some activity bags that included a scavenger hunt for several artifacts.  THAT is how to engage kids.  Nicely done.

One additional reflection on the collection:  it's amazing how the wealth and vision of those who have pieced (and continue to piece) it together have led to the creation and protection of all this beauty.  It often requires great wealth for the patronage and the protection of the greatest of art.  For without that wealth and without that vision, we wouldn't have these Rembrandts and Raphaels.  Yet, what a gift that these works are for the enjoyment of every man, woman, and child... and not hoarded away for the the rich and privileged only.

After touring the palace itself, we went immediately next door to visit the ruins of Holyrood Abbey.  (Rood is an Old English word for "Cross"; and Holy means... uh, "Holy").  It was a mesmerizing place, originally built by King David I of Scotland in the early 1100's.  It was such a beautiful day to be there, with the remains of the spires and arches soaring into the cold blue sky.  You could imagine how transporting worship in that place might have been almost a millenium ago.

Holyrood Abbey

More Holyrood Abbey

Kevin strolling through the Abbey

I was particularly intrigued by a gravestone of slightly more recent vintage located near the front of the Abbey.  It included sentiments that Kelly and I share.  Or more precisely, that we aspire to.

Reader, by thou taught by this...

It reads:

"Here lies the body of Thomas Lowes, Esq., late of Ridley Hall, 
in the county of Northumberland; one instance among thousands 
of the uncertainty of human life and the instability of earthly possessions and enjoyments. Born to ample property, he for several years experienced a distressing reverse of fortune; and no sooner was he restored to his former affluence, than it pleased Divine Providence to withdraw this, together with his life. Reader, be thou taught by this to seek those riches which never can fail, and those pleasures which are at God's right hand for evermore the gracious gift of God, and to be enjoyed through faith in Jesus Christ our Saviour. An only daughter, over whom the deceased had long watched with the tenderest care, and many friends who admired his liberal and generous mind, unite in deploring his loss. He departed this life on the eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord 1812, and in the sixty-first year of his age."