Assistant Curator, European Decorative Arts

National Museums Scotland is one of the leading museum groups in Europe. With one of the largest and most diverse collections in the world, we are responsible for the acquisition, preservation and display of a substantial part of Scotland’s cultural, historic and national heritage. 

Millions of local and international visitors enjoy our four museums each year, and we also introduce our collections to a much wider audience than can physically visit our museums through, touring exhibitions, loans, community engagement, digital programmes and research.

Over the last decade, we have invested over £120 million in our sites and have more than doubled our visitor numbers, with over 3 million people now visiting our four museums. Alongside this, we have continued to transform how we communicate and engage with our audiences. 2019 has seen the completion of our Masterplan for the National Museum of Scotland with the opening of three new galleries dedicated to Ancient Egypt, East Asia and the Art of Ceramics.

The European Decorative Arts section, in the Department of Global Arts, Cultures and Design, cares for more than 26,000 objects encompassing gold and silver, sculpture, ceramics, glass, enamels, arms and armour, dress, tapestries, textiles, musical instruments, furniture, coins, medals and tokens made in Britain and Continental Europe between 1200 and 1850.

The focus of this role will be on decorative arts collections rather than dress and textiles, supporting the delivery of our strategic priority projects, loans, exhibitions and digitisation programmes in these areas. In addition, you will be expected to support the work of other sections in the department.

Outstanding collections items include the Saint-Porchaire ewer, the Meissen lion, the travelling service of Napoleon’s sister, Princess Pauline Borghese, and half of the huge silver-gilt ‘tea service’ supplied in connection with the Emperor Napoleon’s marriage to the Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria in 1810. Other highlights include the seventeen-piece, silver-gilt Lennoxlove toilet service (one of only three Parisian toilet services to survive from the reign of the ‘Sun King’ Louis XIV), the gold snuffboxes from the James Cathcart White collection, and the porcelain made at Worcester, Bristol and the Wedgwood factory during the eighteenth century. There are also many items once owned by the Dukes of Hamilton, from Hamilton Palace, and such Scottish artist-collectors as Horatio McCulloch and Sir Joseph Noel Paton, along with major collections of Venetian glass and German and Netherlandish wood sculpture.

With a degree in a related subject, you will have knowledge of working with European Decorative Arts collections. You will be able to demonstrate existing specialist knowledge, or the potential to develop specialist knowledge, relevant to the collections and subject areas of the role. Proven experience in paid or unpaid work in museums or similar environment is essential. You will be organised and methodical, with good verbal and written communication skills and Office 365 skills. You should also have experience of managing your own time and workload, working to deadlines and handling multiple priorities.

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