Aberdeen Art Gallery is marking the 80th birthday of Dr Malcolm Appleby MBE FRSE, one of Scotland’s foremost silversmiths and engravers, with a new display and a talk by the artist.
Stunning jewellery and applied art from the collection are featured in the display, together with treasured items on loan to the Gallery from private collectors. His designs are drawn from a wealth of inspiration including the natural world, myths and elemental ideas and personal experience, sometimes laced with a mischievous sense of humour. The display includes a number of examples of the celebrated ‘Banchory Bangle’.
Every year since 1976, Appleby has created a bangle inspired by the natural world which has been raffled to support Children First, Scotland. In 1969 Appleby bought Crathes station in Aberdeenshire and worked there for 27 years. This is where he made and engraved the original Banchory Bangle. They have become some of his most well-known and loved pieces, the form allowing him to experiment with different styles and themes, typically featuring local flora and fauna. A new Banchory Bangle is an eagerly-awaited event.
Gold Feather Necklace by Malcolm Appleby, image courtesy Aberdeen City Council (Archives, Gallery & Museums)
Malcolm Appleby will share his inspiration, creative practice and highlights of a career that spans more than 60 years in a talk at the Art Gallery’s Cowdray Hall on Thursday 16 April at 7pm as part of the Hall’s centenary celebrations.
Appleby’s work is held in museum and gallery collections across the United Kingdom. Instantly recognisable by its innate style and originality, his work includes gold and silver bangles, necklaces, rings and bowls. Notable commissions include work for the London Assay Office, 10 Downing Street, the Royal Armouries, Bute House and the monde of the Coronet of Charles, Prince of Wales. In 2014 he received an MBE for services to hand engraving and heritage crafts. In 2020 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Heriot-Watt University and in 2021 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Swan Bowl No2 by Malcolm Appleby, image courtesy Aberdeen City Council (Archives, Gallery & Museums)
Morna Annandale, curator at Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museums, said: “Malcolm Appleby is one of the country’s most renowned engravers. We are pleased to be marking his 80th birthday with this new display which showcases the outstanding quality and inventiveness of his work. My own personal highlights are the stunning Swan Bowl No 2 with its exquisitely engraved design and the quirky night light holder decorated with engraved Celtic imagery including mythical beasts. Elsewhere in the Gallery visitors can enjoy more examples of Malcolm’s work, including the fabulous Cressbrooke Teapot in Gallery 6, as well as his extraordinary Gold Feather Necklace in Gallery 8.”
Malcolm Appleby said: “It will be a delight and honour to be at the Gallery to answer questions from so many old friends and clients and to celebrate the centenary of the Cowdray Hall. My time at Crathes Station was so very memorable and very much part of my early creative development. Next year we will celebrate the 50th Banchory Bangle!”
Celebrating 80 years with Malcolm Appleby (talk)
Thursday 16 April
19:00-20:00, Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill, AB10 1FQ
£16 /£12 concessions
Book now at https://sites.aberdeencity.gov.uk/AAGM/whats-aberdeen-art-galleries-and-museums/celebrating-80-years-with-malcolm-appleby
Collected: Malcolm Appleby MBE (display)
Until 10 January 2027
Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill AB10 1FQ
Open daily, admission free
https://sites.aberdeencity.gov.uk/AAGM/whats-aberdeen-art-galleries-and-museums/collected-malcolm-appleby-mbe