Unique Merovingian coin on public display for the first time

A unique Merovingian gold coin will go on public display for this first time this Friday as part of The Hunterian’s major new exhibition Scottish Gold.

The exhibition brings together a spectacular array of objects from The Hunterian and other major collections across the UK and tells the fascinating story of the precious metal in Scotland from the Bronze Age to the present.

One of the must-see items is the extremely rare 7th century Merovingian gold tremissis. The exceptional gold coin was found at Kelso in the Scottish Borders in 2012, and was recently allocated to The Hunterian by the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.

The unique gold coin is the first of its kind ever to be found in Scotland and is particularly important as it is a previously unrecorded issue, thought to come from the Merovingian Royal Treasury.

The Merovingian dynasty ruled much of modern France and Germany from the 5th to 8th century AD and is probably better known thanks to Dan Brown’s novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’, which links them with the blood line of Jesus Christ.

On display at The Hunterian for the first time, the gold tremissis would have started life in the Frankish kingdom and may have ended up in Scotland as a diplomatic gift from a visiting aristocrat. It would not have been used as money.

Other star items on show include the ‘cloth of gold’ from the tomb of Robert the Bruce; the ‘Blairs Jewel’, a miniature gold and enamel portrait and reliquary of Mary Queen of Scots; a multitude of Scottish gold coins including a ducat or bonnet piece of James V and a gold ampulla used at the Scottish Coronation of Charles I.

Scottish Gold opens at the Hunterian Art Gallery on 14 March and runs until 15 June 2014. Admission is £5.00, £3.00 concession. The Hunterian Art Gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday, 10.00am – 5.00pm and Sunday 11.00am – 4.00pm, closed Monday.

Hunterian Art Gallery
University of Glasgow
82 Hillhead Street
Glasgow G12 8QQ


For further information contact:
Dr Donal Bateson, Reader in Numismatics
John.Bateson@glasgow.ac.uk
 
Harriet Gaston, Communications Manager
Harriet.Gaston@glasgow.ac.uk

Previous Scottish Gold press release

Scottish Gold press images

Scottish Gold exhibition pages
 

Notes to Editors

 
The Hunterian
 
The Hunterian is Scotland's oldest public museum and home to one of the largest collections outside the National Museums. It is one of Scotland’s most important cultural assets and one of the leading university museums in the UK. Its collections have been Recognised as a Collection of National Significance.
 
Built on Dr William Hunter’s founding bequest, The Hunterian collections include scientific instruments used by James Watt, Joseph Lister and Lord Kelvin; outstanding Roman artefacts from the Antonine Wall; major natural and life sciences holdings; Hunter’s own extensive anatomical teaching collection; one of the world’s greatest numismatic collections; impressive ethnographic objects from Captain Cook’s Pacific voyages and a major art collection.
 
The Hunterian is also home to the world’s largest permanent display of the work of James McNeill Whistler, the largest single holding of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and The Mackintosh House, the reassembled interiors from his Glasgow home.
 
The Hunterian continues in its Age of Enlightenment mission to be a central resource for research and teaching in the arts, humanities and natural and medical sciences, attracting scholars and visitors from around the world.

First published: 10 March 2014