Decorative arts is a term used for objects that were made to be functional yet decorative or artistic. At IMAG this includes:
- ceramics e.g. Aldourie Pottery terracotta garden pots, Highland studio ceramics
- glass e.g. Caithness Glass, decanters, drinking glasses, Victorian lustres
- silver e.g. spoons, clan badges, luckenbooths, quaichs, thistle cups
- treen (decorative woodwork) e.g. tobacco and snuff boxes, quaichs, luggies
- jewellery e.g. rings, necklaces, brooches, hairwork
- clocks and watches e.g. pocketwatches
- bone and ivory carvings
- other metalwork e.g. pewter, bronze, gold
The museum owns the best collection of Inverness and Highland silver, with almost every known maker's mark for the area represented.
Many items from our Stuart and Jacobite collections fall into the decorative arts category, including Jacobite engraved drinking glasses, snuff boxes and jewellery - especially rings with hidden surprises! A beautiful piece of treen is also currently on loan to us, a wooden box commemorating the marriage of James Francis Stuart to Maria Clementina Sobieska in 1719.
