bute

This Collection of modern silver was commissioned by The Incorporation of Goldsmiths and is now owned by the Scottish Goldsmiths Trust. It is on permanent loan to Scotland's First Minister to promote the quality of craftsmanship, and confidence in Scotland today.
The Rt. Hon. Henry McLeish, First Minister, was presented with the finished collection in June 2001 and he said "It is a great honour to receive such a prestigious collection on behalf of Scotland and future First Ministers". Made to coincide with the return of a Parliament to Scotland after 300 years, it has been described as the most exciting collection of contemporary "working" silver portraying the definitive statement of silversmithing in Scotland at the beginning of the 21st Century.
The Collection has been made by fifteen of Scotland's top Silversmiths and is used in Bute House, the official Edinburgh residence of the First Minister, where it is enjoyed by visiting Heads of State, political leaders and guests from around the world. Each piece bears the special commemorative Millennium hallmark which could only be applied during the years 1999 and 2000.

During Parliamentary recesses, the Collection is exhibited both at home and abroad:

August 2001 National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh
July-August 2002 Aberdeen Art Gallery
February-March 2003 Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris
July-August 2004 McLellan Galleries, Glasgow
October-November 2004 Hergetova Cihelna, Prague, where the Collection was the centre of The Lion's Roar, an exhibition of dazzling contemporary and significant historical Scottish silver
July-August 2006 Koldinghus, Denmark

Since 2007, the Millennium Collection has been exhibited around the world as part of the Silver of the Stars World Tour. During this time the collection was shown at world class venues and was seen by almost three quarters of a million visitors:

31st January-18th March 2007, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
30th March-2nd June 2007, The Forbes Galleries, New York
6th July-5th August 2007, State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg
3rd-16th September 2007, The World Art Museum, Beijing
10th-20th October 2007, The Museum of Kyoto, Japan
25th January-28th April 2008, The National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh
12th April-3rd July 2009, The Gregg Museum of Art and Design, North Carolina
24th July-4th October, The San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design
23rd October 2009-January 10th 2010, The Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria
5th February-7th May 2010, The Nickle Arts Museum, Calgary

In 2012-13, the Millennium Collection will be exhibited throughout Europe with Silver of the Stars . Host cities include Krakow, Kolding and Barcelona. Please visit Silver of the Stars for more information about these exhibitions.