Stirling Heads Together for First Time in 200 Years

Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop yesterday unveiled the new gallery at Stirling Castle that will display the original collection of Renaissance sculptures known as the Stirling Heads.

A total of 34 Heads, some a metre across, have survived the centuries since their creation sometime after 1530. Many originally decorated the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall at the heart of the Royal Palace and there is nothing quite like them anywhere else in the world.

Historic Scotland has 31 of the Heads in its care, and three original Heads from the National Museums of Scotland have now joined them in the new gallery.

Bit of a tricky shoot this one. The gallery is very dark (much darker than it looks in the photograph) with no natural daylight to protect the heads. An exposure of 1/6 of a second was required to capture the ambient light with a spot flash picking out the minister.

Heads Up For Stirling

I have been following the progress of the Stirling Heads for a couple of years now, photographing master craftsman John Donaldson during the carving of the 37 replica oak medallions.

The heads were masterpieces in themselves and I have to admit that I wasn't sure that I would be so keen on them after I head that they were to be painted. But seeing them positioned on the ceiling of the Kings Inner Hall of Stirling Castle convinced me that it was the right thing to do.

Last month I braved the snow and headed up to Stirling to photograph John and Graciela Ainsworth who led the painting team. The images were used for press and marketing purposes.

I am very much looking forward to June when the project will be complete and the palace will be open to the public.

The Carvers Daughter

Master craftsman John Donaldson spent the last 5 years carving replica heads for the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall at Stirling Castle. The 37 heads were commissioned by Historic Scotland as part of a £12 million renovation of the Royal Palace. The original heads were rescued when the palace roof collapsed in the 18th century but one head was destroyed by fire. This left John without a subject for the remaining head so he decided to use his daughter Fiona as a model.

The 37 heads are on display at Stirling Castle until the 21st February, after which they are to be painted before being mounted on the ceiling of the Royal Chapel. See more images here.
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Stirling Heads

Master wood carver John Donaldson unveils the last of 41 oak heads at Stirling Castle this morning - the culmination of five years work. The medallions will be painted and eventually decorate the ceiling of the King's Inner Hall. Visit RobMcDougall.com