We are delighted to launch our 2026 online exhibition: ‘THE DESIGN AND DECORATION OF THE PALACE OF BOKES: THE FIRST CENTURY 1812-1908’.
The exhibition had its origins in the December 2024 rediscovery of a vital cache of 1812 drawings by the Signet Library’s architect of genius William Stark.
Stark had just taken over the design project for the Library from Robert Reid, and the building shell he inherited posed two major problems: how to get daylight into the space, and how to design in the magnificence and convenience Stark felt a major library should possess.
The exhibition discusses these drawings in relation to surviving letters and minutes from the building project. The second part of the exhibition tells the story of the beginnings of the Signet Library art collection and how the Society turned a staircase and lobby into one of the first truly public arenas for art. The third and final part of the exhibition tells the story for the first time of how the magnificent Signet Library interiors were decorated, focussing on a unique and remarkable series of paintings of the Library by the great Scottish artist of interiors Patrick William Adam.
Appealing to those interested in history, architecture and interior design, this exhibition has something for everyone!
With thanks to our Research Principal James Hamilton and his team including Jo Hockey and Dr Kit Baston.