Burrelling again

I'm still not thinking straight, yesterday was quite draining. So you can have more pictures of the Burrell Collection.

Although it's not large, there's a lot to see. One of the things I liked was that it was the collection of one person, in the main (he left an endowment for future purchases, but his collection still makes up at least 90% of the whole) and he kept it at his home, so they are incredibly rare and precious pieces, but not grand - you can live with them. Apart from one large tapestry, they are all quite small. His stained glass collection was fitting in the windows of his house, until the war when there was danger of bombing.

The terms of his will were that the collection should be housed in a woodland setting in Glasgow, which wasn't easy to manage until someone left a suitable parkland area to the city, and that it should not travel overseas, for fear of a ship or plane going down. So items can be lent out in mainland Britain but nowhere else. There are about 9,000 pieces, of which a third are on show at any one time

I want to go back and have another browse. However, at least I bought the guide book - which I haven't unpacked yet. All that's been taken out of my case are clothes to be washed and clothes to be hung up. And my toothbrush.

Anyway, here are pictures.

I thought, irresistibly, of Reeves and Mortimer - a Ponderer, for anyone who remembers Big Night Out of about 20 years ago (we taped it for Ro, who was too young to stay up and he was the coolest kid at the Middle School for watching them before anyone else had heard of them) and the Dove from Above.

I can't remember who she was - but a lovely piece of stained glass.

Three more cabinets. The simple silver brooch appealed to me.

Eugène Boudin - The Jetty at Trouville, I think. Being a seaside girl at heart, I loved this. The hugging oneself against the wind.

An early self-portrait. Doesn't he look spiffing? We saw a couple of Rembrandts later, in his less confident and hopeful older age. Fine.

Remarkably, these are Chinese, dating from between 1550 and 1650. Incredible condition and looking far more modern. Beautiful. I want.

A wonderful and witty tapestry, which bears long and close study - though not from this photo which isn't clear enough.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, Dave will come over and we'll return to Bringing On the Wall.