Scottish National Gallery

We were impressed with the Scottish National Gallery in 2013, and were sure to visit it again during our 2019 stay in Edinburgh. As is often the case, I took pretty much the same pix of the same paintings, same angles, same framing, lighting, etc., as in 2013. This happens often, and I'm never sure whether to laugh at myself, marvel at my consistency over the years, or perhaps seek professional counseling. Anyhow, from this 2019 visit to the Scottish National Gallery, I will post only some of the master-works that I omitted from the 2013 account...still omitting a Rembrandt, a Canaletto, some Poussins, et al. It's a marvelous museum.

Intriguing...Madonna and Child, by the "Master of the
Embroidered Foliage," later 15th, oil on panel, the foreground
detail reminiscent of van Eyck; even more interesting, the
Madonna is not in her usual color-coded blue...

Filippino Lippi, Nativity with Two Angels, very late 15th; really nice angel wing
treatment

Never miss a Cranach; Allegory of Melancholy, 1528

Also never miss an Avercamp; characteristic Netherlands winter scene, early 17th

I can't believe I missed a Velasquez! An Old Woman Cooking Eggs, 1618; an
early work but the genius is already showing

Guido Reni, Infant Moses with Pharaoh's Crown, 1640, possibly unfinished

Poussin, Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine, 1629

There's a whole room of Poussin's large Seven Sacraments series; I tried doing a
panoramic shot, but it wouldn't go; so here's Penitence; notice they're dining
on triclinia, like Romans; I guess I did post this last time; sorry!

Rembrandt Self-Portrait #1,836

Franz Hals' Portrait of Pieter Verdonck, 1666

Pieter Saenredum, Interior of St. Bavo's Cathedral, Haarlem,
1648

What's cute is the painter's signature, done as if it were graffiti on the base of the
column, lower left

Sargeant's Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, 1893; as good as
Impressionist portraiture gets, methinks

Never miss a Watteau...Robber of the Sparrow's Nest, 1712

Allan Ramsay's Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Rousseau stayed with
Hume during one of the former's exiles; the portrait was later
given to Hume; intellectual giants of the age; one wonders what
they talked about

Obligatory Canaletto

van Gogh, Orchard in Blossom, Arles, 1888

Paul Gauguin, Martinique Landscape, 1887

Monet, Poplars on the River Epte, 1891

Edinburgh Lebowski's

On an earlier Scottish trip, daughter Rachel and her husband Will had discovered Lebowskis in Glasgow, and a little research showed a second such now open in the west end in Edinburgh. Of course it was high on my list of must-sees. As clever as a theme-restaurant can be, and this one is clever, one should never have very high hopes for the actual food and drink...

We were there at noon on Sunday; and told we could order
only from the brunch menu, the choices from which were not
very impressive; the food even less 

Regular menu

Drink menu: much cuteness, if mostly on the vodka/Kahlua
theme; they missed a real opportunity with The Stranger;
but then maybe you can't get Sioux City Sarsaparilla in
Edinburgh...

Much Lebowski decor

My drink, The Dude, made with cream, supposedly, and supposedly without
the chocolate powder and beans (very un-Dude)...when I complained, the waiter
insisted, in his best attempted English, this is how they make it, despite what the
menu said; OK, I said, I'll see you on TripAdvisor

Continuous showing of the movie...one wonders what sorts of rights are paid...

Still Not Our Favorite Museum

We visited the Scottish National Museum in 2009 and were unimpressed. We thought we'd give it another go in 2019, but came away with pretty much the same impressions...disorganized, no apparent narrative to follow, even in small bits. Many interesting items, but little coherence. I took rather more pix, however, so that is hopeful. Maybe it will grow on us.

Scotland's first Mini, among the first anywhere; love the color

Assorted carvings from the paleolithic, neolithic, pictish, medieval, whatever

Mixed old stuff

Distant relations in the neolithic (the axe is from the southern
Alps)

Definitely medieval; the signage said it is a woman giving
birth; we thought it more of a Sheila-na-gig

A clarsach, a medieval Highland harp, only a few in
existence; the display case is 1904 Art Nouveau

 

Very famous Lewis chess men. medieval; the rest of the set is where the rest of
every set is...the British Museum

The McCoys (Mackays) are up top; marginalized, as it were

Another clarsach

Scottish myths and realities

Specimens of favorite Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Putatively close relative

Much of the industrial revolution was in Scotland

Old Glenfiddich still, another sort of steam power

The 6th floor terrace affords some fine views of Edinburgh

Somewhat cluttered view in the direction of Arthur's Seat

Dorsal Dolly

First cloned animal, so to speak

In the natural history section...maybe next time