Burrell Collection

After Falkirk, we drove on to Glasgow, home of Glaswegians (love that term), straight to the Burrell Collection, in Pollok Park, south of the city, a big beautiful metro park, with forest, trails, playing fields, etc. We spent most of the rest of the day touring the Burrell, which, idiosyncratic as it is, we liked very much. It is one man's collection--a wealthy Glasgow ship-owner who died in 1944. He left the collection to the city, but with the stipulation that the museum housing it cater to the contents and that it be in an outdoorsy location. It took Glasgow 50 years to work this out, but what resulted is very fine indeed. The strengths of the collection are late medieval and early Renaissance northern European, but also tapestry, Degas, and antiquities, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Chinese. Burrell also asked that three rooms from his castle/home be displayed.  We camped in a corner of the park's car park and enjoyed a quiet night.

Large and purpose-built, much of the Burrell's conservation work goes on right 
out in the open; when she heard us snapping pix, this conservator came over 
and explained what she was doing...

Typical doorway...from a castle or great house Burrell collected

Typical room display, painting, furniture, tapestry, carpet...

Drawing room from Burrell's castle

The multi-tasking wife, one of our favorite tapestries

Evidently Rembrandt painted enough of these for every 
museum to have at least one...

A Chinese Buddha, displayed against the giant windows 
and forest outside

Degas' portrait of his friend, the writer Duranty

With the royalties from L'Assomoir, Zola bought a country house which his  close 
personal bud Degas also painted (two coats!)