A statuette of Robert Burns’ muse has been donated to help raise some of the final £3.8m required for the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway, Ayrshire, which is due to open in 2010.
The University of the West of Scotland has donated the bronze figurine of Coila, the muse who appears in Robert Burns’s poem The Vision, to the National Trust for Scotland.
It was made by Alexander Stoddart, the Queen’s sculptor in ordinary in Scotland, who has created sculptures of famous Scots including Burns, Adam Smith and James Clerk Maxwell.
The statuette, which stands at just over a foot high, is one of just ten which Stoddart created to commemorate the merging of four West of Scotland university campuses in Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton and Paisley. The statuette gifted to the trust is the only one of the collection which has been specially gilded by the sculptor.
Nat Edwards, Director of the new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum said: “ The sculpture is a stunning piece of work and we are very grateful for this generous gift from the University of the West of Scotland.
“Everything about the statuette, from the story of Coila and The Vision, the intricate detail and the wonderful gilding work makes it truly exquisite.”
Colia appeared as a vision to Burns as he struggled with the idea of giving up poetry, and Stoddart’s statuette depicts the goddess telling him to continue to pursue his poetic calling no matter what effects this may have on farming.
Stoddart explained: “As a muse of rustic poetry, Colia’s sphere of influence extends all over the areas to which the University of the West of Scotland campuses reside.”
The new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway is scheduled to open in summer 2010. It is the most ambitious project to date for the National Trust for Scotland and a final fundraising push for the remaining £3.8 million required for the museum is underway.
To make a donation to the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum visit www.nts.org.uk/Burns/
(Picture at top: Andrew Fuller)
Last updated: 13 May 2009, 14:52
The links provided allow you to bookmark this page into your favourite social media website. For users with JavaScript disabled copy and paste the URL from the address bar into your chosen social bookmarking site.