University Collections

Subject:PROSPERITY TO SCHOTLAND* & NO UNION GOD SAVE KING JAMES VIII ( *Indicates German workmanship)

Description:Sword, double-edged, Basket hilt constructed of round bars, junction plates pierced with 'key' pattern and incised with lines bordering the junction plate. Quillon with scrolled terminal. Flat domed pommel with four grooves forming a cross, the grooves bordered by incised lines, with petals between the arms of the cross. Grip covered with sharkskin wound in spiral with copper band. Blade with three fullers. Marked on one side: St Andreas* over a figure of St Andrew wearing a mitre* and holding a cross front. Marked on the other side: Head of King James (in style of a Roman Emperor) over Crown and Single sceptre resting on a cushion. On one side of the tang is the blade makers mark resembling a lion. There is some evidence to indicate the inscription was removed and restored at some later date. Similar swords after the Union of 1707, have two sceptres on the cushion and the inscription reads King James III. Therefore this blade is pre-1707.
LEMUR database; Mazansky 167; Mazansky, Cyril (forthcoming 2002), Basket-hilted Swords; Royal Armouries Museum; Beard, C R, Jacobite Sword Blades, Parts I and II, Connoisseur, September 1923; Trenchard, C, Jacobite Sword Blades, Parts I and II, The Antique Collector, Jan and March 1936
Object included in the 'Rebels with a Cause' exhibition shown initially at Holyrood (Scottish Parliament), Oct 2010 - Jan 2011, then at the New Library, University of Aberdeen in 2011 (opening exhibition). The exhibition featured items from Marischal Museum and Special Collections. There is some evidence to indicate the inscription was removed and restored at some later date. Similar swords after the Union of 1707 have two sceptres on the cushion and the inscription reads King James III, therefore this blade is pre-1707 [show more]

Subject:Programme for the 1959 Aberdeen University Student Show "Alma Mania". Dated 20th - 25th April 1959.

Subject:prize medal

Description:Presented to Alexander Thomson Esq of Banchory, by the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, for a report on the cultivation of chicory and flax in Belgium, 1837. Inscription: SEMPER ARMIS NUNC ET INDUSTRIA Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland Inst MDCCLXXXIV report on the cultivation of chicory and flax in Belgium [show more]

Subject:Pre-Contact Section.

Subject:Portrait

Description:3/4 portrait of James Fraser, seated and facing right, with head towards viewer. Long grey periwig, wearing brown coat, white cravat, floppy lace cuffs and a tan waistcoat. Left hand holds book on table with spine up on a green drape background. Seated in scroll back chair, table blue cloth with gold fringe, that highlights crudely painted. Was painted at the behest of the authorities of King's College. Copy of a portrait in the possession of his son-in-law of Grangehill. Fraser gained his LLd in recognition of his gifts to the College, the portrait was painted to commemorate those gifts and the conferring of the degree (which was sent to him). Fraser Secretary of the Chelsea Hospital and was Librarian to the King. [show more]

Subject:Peleus Thetis dolphin

Description:Pitcher with 3 handles, red-figured in glazed red clay. Shows Peleus seizing Thetis wearing stephane and holding dolphin, a symbol of her transformation.

Subject:Peleus (Dolphin) Thetis

Description:Pitcher with 3 handles, red-figured in glazed red clay. Shows Peleus seizing Thetis wearing stephane and holding dolphin, a symbol of her transformation

Type:Physical Object

Subject:Patrick Copland, astronomy, telescope, science, history of science

Description:Universal equatorial instrument. 18th century instrument for positional measurement of stars with telescope mounted on an equatorial mount having finely graduated scales. Brass with 18" circles. Originally made by Sisson. Afterwards divided anew, with an achromatic telescope and 'refraction apparatus' (to correct for atmospheric refraction) added by Ramsden. Optics missing. Badly cleaned sometime 1955-1965. [show more]

Type:Physical Object

Subject:Patrick Copland, astronomy, science, history of science

Description:'Dollond's achromatic telescope of two and three quarter inch aperture and 4 feet focus, with polar axis, on a mahogany stand, 2 astronomical and 1 terrestrial eyepiece and a divided object glass micrometer.' The instrument in the University's possession fits this description except that it has only one eyepiece. It is signed 'Dollond, London' but unnumbered. Mackay records (in 'The Theory and Practice of finding Longitude at Sea or Land' pg 199, first edition, London 1793) that for observations of Jupiter's satellites he used powers of 'about 80 and 115 according to the state of the atmosphere.' In the observatory notebook (A.U.L. Ms 504) he records powers of about 70 and 126 and always refers to the telescope as the '46 inch achromatic of Dollond.' Maskelyne suggested (in a letter to Patrick Copland, dated 7th Dec. 1780 in A.U.L. Ms 2886) that Sisson should make the mount but there is no record of whether he did or not. The cost was pounds £73.10. A similar telescope was purchased by the Radcliffe Observatory in 1774 and is illustrated as item 183 in R.T.Gunther 'Early Science in Oxford' vol.II opposite pg 314 (Oxford,1923). Dollond's divided object glass is shown in a photograph in the Van Marum collection catalogue (66) pg 298, fig 224 and also in R.T.Gunther ibid. opposite pg 329. On equatorial mount with remains of sighting telescope . Its focal length and aperture are correct, as in the mount type and material. With object glass micrometer (separate) and one steadying arm (separate). [show more]

Subject:Pastopherus

Description:Figure of Pastopherus, a priest carrying shrine containing image of Anher (Asher).