Curling memorabilia

I undertook (here) to keep everyone up to date on what was happening with Charles Lees's painting of the Grand Match at Linlithgow. I'm pleased to be able to say that a small sub-committee of the RCCC Areas Standing Committee, headed up by past president Bill Marshall with Jim Jamieson and Alan Sloan, has been charged with looking to the future of the painting. I am aware that these three are working hard on this. I look forward to publishing more details of their efforts when I am able to do so.

Just the mention of this most valuable item of curling's heritage, prompts me to highlight something from the video archive that I've been able to uncover this week. Not a clip from a championship this time! In 2005, BBC's Flog It programme featured David B Smith showing Paul Martin, the programme's presenter, something of his collection of curling memorabilia. I've put the link to this on the Curling History blog. So go here if you would like to hear about a gorilla throwing a loofie, see decorated curling stones, and wonder at the smallest 'wee curling stone' you've ever seen!

Clicking on the image below takes you to the post too.

This screenshot is from the Flog It clip. The link is in the Curling History blog here.

Lees's painting update

I was pleased to read this announcement on the Royal Club website when I got home this afternoon:

Update: Charles Lees Painting
By Willie Nicoll

Following a discussion at the ASC and taking into account the sentiments expressed in the e-mails submitted by the members, the Board has decided not to put the Charles Lees Painting up for auction in December. The Board will now explore what possibilities may exist to raise sufficient funds to have the picture restored and put on display.

I am heartened by this, however concise the content. But I am ever the pessimist and, I suspect that, although those who wish the painting to be retained as an asset by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club may have won the first skirmish, there will be many battles ahead in the future of this iconic painting.

The first problem is in keeping interest in the painting alive, and bringing together members who have the time and inclination to work for the painting's future. I gather that the initial efforts may come from the Areas Standing Committee. I hope the Ladies' Branch will have input to make too. I'll try keep you updated with regular posts here. Let's hope that there will really be a group, 'The Friends of the Grand Match Painting', willing to help the Board's efforts.

Firstly, I need your help. The image above comes from David B Smith's book, Curling: An Illustrated History, which was published in 1981. It's the only image I have of the full painting.

Has anyone a photo of the painting in recent years, perhaps when it was at Scone Palace, or hanging in the RCCC offices at Coates Crescent and Great King Street? Has it been reproduced anywhere else?

A large engraving of the painting was made in the nineteenth century, and there should be many copies. Does anyone know where one still exists? Perhaps someone has a photo of the engraving?

A print of Charles Lees's Grand Match painting was sold at the historical exhibition which accompanied the 1975 Silver Broom World Championship in Perth. This was much smaller than the original, at 27 by 20 inches. I actually owned one of these prints, although it was a poor representation of the original, and it faded badly over the years. Does anyone still have a print on their wall?

Robin Welsh used Lees's image for the Scottish Curler Christmas card in 1975. Does one survive anywhere?

Tonight I am pleased to learn that I'm not the only one who sees the value in retaining the painting, and a 'well done' to everyone who has lobbied the Board and its chairman with their views. And it is good that Willie Nicoll and the directors have listened.

More for sale

I'm looking for a female curler who has a 30" waist, and 41" hips! Could this be you?

Hair colour and age are unimportant, and it doesn't really matter whether you have long or short legs.

You see I'm trying to help out a friend who has a brand new, never used, pair of Olson Contour Curling trousers for sale.

Description: 'Olson's Contour Pants feature a fashion-forward mid-rise waist band, stylish slim fit, flattering flared leg, belt loops and extra stitching details. These detail-driven pants offer similar iconic styling to the Low-Rise, but with a more conservative rise waist. The legs are unhemmed so you can have them tailored to the perfect inseam length.' More here.

The seller is louise.kerr@gallowaygazette.com. A friend of hers brought them back from Canada but unfortunately they turned out to be too big (!) for her. They are sized MED - 30" Waist / 41" Hip, in black.

Suggested price is £55, including postage to anywhere in the UK. Contact Louise to negotiate, if you think they will fit you.

Louise has promised to buy me a coffee if we can find a buyer. A coffee! Yes, the new Skip Cottage Curling needs to maximise any opportunity for income generation, and after all we are a 'public service' blog!

And of course if you DO need a new set of 'pants' for the new season, and Louise's don't fit you, blog supporter British Curling Supplies may be able to help - follow the BCS link in the side bar on the right.

Then again, maybe Loudmouth Golf is the route you want to go down, aka the 'Norwegian Road'. (I rather hope so!)

Of course, another reason for posting this today, is to point you to the 'For Sale' page above, where I have two more sets of stones which I need to sell.

PS Talking of selling things, although there has been no official announcement yet, the word on the street is that the Royal Caledonian Curling Club Board is set to rethink their decision to send Charles Lees's Grand Match painting for immediate sale. Good news. More information as it comes to me.

An important week

It's an important week. I don't say this because it just happens to be my birthday, today, Tuesday, August 17. Sixty-three years it is! No mistake, getting old. With age comes experience. Or so they say. I've certainly learned that when people have made up their minds about something, it is very difficult to get them to change their view.

I suspect that might be the case with the Royal Club Board of Directors. They have already spent some time at their July Board meeting, discussing the fate of Charles Lees's painting of the Grand Match. They made the decision then that the painting should go for auction unless some alternate solution could be found by the next Board meeting. That's on Thursday, this week.

To my mind, consultation with members has been minimal. It was minimal five years ago, and it has been again this month. There was one post on the RCCC website (here) and that's not even on the front page of the site anymore. I hope that some who are interested in curling's heritage will have read what I have written about it here, with suggestions on how the Board should proceed. And that they have made their views known to Willie Nicoll, the Chairman, or one of the other directors, Jeanette Johnston, Anne Malcolm, Bob Kelly, Trevor Dodds, Kay Gibb, or the RCCC President Robbie Scott, who is also a member of the Board. By the day after tomorrow, it will be too late.

It is nearly twenty years since I last saw the painting. I suspect that many of the Board have not seen it recently, if ever. And that's the problem. Reproductions, such as that on the cover of the February 1989 Scottish Curler, hardly present the painting in the best light. I remember it as being very impressive, hanging in the boardroom at Coates Crescent, and before that at Perth Ice Rink.

I would like to see the painting again, now. I'm sceptical when the Royal Club Board says that is faces a 'restoration bill of a minimum of £50,000, possibly escalating to nearer £100,000'. How reliable are these figures, and what do they mean? Is it all scaremongering, to convince us that there is no other course of action than to auction off the Club's biggest asset?

What work is really needed? What work is needed simply to ensure that the painting does not deteriorate further, and retains its current value, suggested by the auctioneers Sotheby's as being between £300,000 and £500,000. In what condition is the frame? What work is needed so that the painting can be hung again, if only temporarily, so that we can all see it. What work is REALLY needed to restore the painting to former glory?

I have already suggested that the best way forward is to have the painting taken into expert storage where it can be examined, without haste, and answers to the above questions obtained, and made available to all members. All with an intention that a new, permanent, home for the painting will be found one day, with the painting on loan from the Royal Club, rather than sold.

What is niggling me is the thought that perhaps the painting has been damaged, and this is the reason that a previous report of its condition has not been made public. If so, when did this damage occur? Whose fault was it?

If damage has occurred, let's be quite clear where some of the blame must lie. The painting has been owned by the Royal Club for more than one hundred years. If it is shown that the Royal Club Council of past years, by its negligence, allowed the painting to become damaged, then we will all need reassurance that the present Board is looking after all the other items of curling memorabilia in its care.

Yes, I'm guilty of scaremongering now.

But one thing I'm sure about today is that, even if the Charles Lees painting is sold on, we will all have to become more aware of those items of the sport's heritage that we, the members and directors of the RCCC, have been charged with looking after. What's the point of collecting items from the sport's history, as the RCCC Trust is actively doing, if these are not going to be cared for?

If the Royal Club is unwillingly to care for our sport's memorabilia, perhaps the answer for the Board is to sell off ALL the Royal Club's historical artifacts. If the Lees painting goes to open auction, then the precedent will have been set. This is certainly an important week!

There is now a Facebook group for Friends of the Grand Match painting, go here.

The future of the Grand Match painting

I told the story of Lees's Grand Match painting recently here. There is now just a week to go before the Royal Caledonian Curling Club Board decides its future. See the official post about it on the RCCC website here. If you haven't done so already, let Willie Nicoll know what you want to happen. Perhaps you should talk about it with your own club secretary, or get in touch with your representative on the Areas Standing Committee, which also meets next week, on the day before the Board meeting. This is the committee which represents the views of the 'ordinary' curler. This is the committee which should be arguing for the painting to be saved.

I've been talking with lots of people about the painting and what should happen to it. I was asked, "What would you do, Bob?" Here are my thoughts.

Personally, I fail to understand why the Royal Club is planning to sell one of the most important iconic paintings of the sport of curling. I cannot believe that the Club is thinking of disposing of what is its biggest financial asset, with unseemly haste and without proper consultation with the members. It's not as if the Club is in a difficult financial position and needs the money from such a sale. I believe that if the new Board allows the painting to go for auction, then these Royal Club directors will be forever responsible for the biggest mistake in the Royal Club's history!

For once I am not sitting on the fence. I simply do not believe that we are in possession of all the facts, nor that the Board has made a good enough case for disposing of the painting.

I believe that the priority is to get the painting out of the clutches of the auction house where it currently is being held, and into safe secure storage. For the short term. What do I mean by this? I would not like to see the painting finish up in the back of someone's shed on a farm somewhere, or in a warehouse, but in the care of a professional company which knows how to look after works of art. There are a number of such companies, used by museums, or by those who are fortunate to possess works of art with no room to display them all. As an example, check out Constantine's website here.

Then, given that the immediate threat to the painting has been dealt with, there will be time to consider its future. Independent experts can advise on conservation and restoration, and all of us can be made aware of the current state of the painting, and hence make a reasoned decision on what should happen.

With the painting safely and securely in store, there will also be time for new negotiations to begin with parties other than the National Galleries, such as the Kelvingrove Museum, other museums and galleries, the National Trust, other stately homes. That's always assuming that the painting is not required to be the centrepiece of the new National Academy project with its curling history museum and RCCC offices. (Yes, I still live in hope that this project will eventually come about, if not in Kinross, then on some other site.)

Note that I've used the word 'independent' in relation to the experts who should examine the painting. I want to know the condition of the painting in the opinion of experts who are not in hock to someone who is trying to purchase it for as low a price as possible. These reports (and surely we need two) should be made public for all members to read. The questions which need to be answered are (1) What work, if any, needs to be done to ensure that the painting does not deteriorate further and remains an asset to the members of the Royal Club, and (2) What work needs to be done to restore the painting to satisfactory condition that it can be put on show. And of course we need estimates of what the answers to both of these questions will cost.

The current figures being bandied about in the Royal Club's post on the website, are, in my opinion, vague and unsubstantiated.

I hear you saying, "But this was all done before, the opinions of the membership canvassed, and decisions made."

I would respond by saying that this was done four years ago, and a lot has changed in that time. For one thing, the National Academy project with its museum was only on the drawing board then. And the people involved have changed. In fact only one, Jeanette Johnston, remains on the Board from that time. And not every option for the future of the painting was presented to members four years ago.

I hope fervently that the decision is made to keep the painting. Yes, there are cost implications, although short term storage is unlikely to be prohibitive.

In the long term, there may well be a need for considerable fundraising but with a will, there will be a way! As an example, the Royal Club now has its own charitable trust. It did have £100,000 in it, a bequest from Bob Gardner. Some has been spent. (As the minutes of the Trust are not published, none of us knows exactly how funds have been used to date, or how much remains). I understand that the money in the trust fund is earmarked to be used for the establishment of a museum of curling. What could be a more appropriate use of Bob's bequest than in ensuring that Lees's painting remains in Scotland, in good condition and available for everyone to appreciate and enjoy?

Perhaps what the Royal Club Board needs to do is establish a group of members, volunteers, the 'Friends of the Grand Match painting'! This group would become the painting's 'evangelists', promoting it, researching it, marketing it. There are certainly art lovers amongst the Club's membership, perhaps other experts, and enthusiasts, who would be prepared to devote a little of their time to looking to the future of this painting. 'Friends' groups are well established in so many other areas, even in steam heritage railways (another of my passions as followers of skipcottage.blogspot.com will know!)

I have two further images to throw into the discussion today.

Charles Lees also painted 'The Golfers'. In many ways it is a companion to 'The Grand Match on Linlithgow Loch'. Did you know that the Scottish National Portrait Gallery purchased this painting with financial assistance from, amongst others, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club? It is all so different from the relationship over the past four years with Sotheby's trying to persuade the National Galleries to buy our painting, which we already own (!), at market value.

Note that the option of loaning Lees's painting, or even giving it, to the National Galleries was not among the options presented to members four years ago.

The image above is of the cover of a little book entitled The Golfers: The Story Behind the Painting by Peter Lewis and Angela Howe. There is also a project to track down the descendants of all those portrayed in that picture, see here. Prints, postcards and greeting cards are used as marketing tools and to raise funds.

Is not our curling painting every bit as important as this golf masterpiece?

Don't rule out the fact that other curling organisations might have an interest in the future of Lees's painting, and ensuring it's preservation. What's that on the wall behind Mike Thomson, the World Curling Federation's General Secretary who retires this month? It's NOT the original Lees painting. Rather, it's a photographic reproduction, not quite full size, which Mike had made when the WCF's offices in Great King Street relocated to Perth, and the original moved to Scone Palace. He, for one, is an admirer of the painting.

Can I ask you, if you are reading this post and have an opinion on what should happen, MAKE YOUR OPINION KNOWN to someone on the Board. If you have curling friends who may not even know that Lees's painting is in jeopardy (because they don't read the Royal Club website, or this blog) then tell them about it. Do it now. In a week's time it may be too late.

I'll finish today with what David B Smith, our foremost curling historian, said in the January 2007 issue of the Scottish Curler magazine. "It would be a monstrous betrayal of all the Club has represented over the last 168 years if it were to sell this famous painting at auction."

Images © Skip Cottage

Auction beckons for Lees's painting

This photo wasn't taken yesterday! It appeared on the front cover of the October 1986 Scottish Curler magazine and shows the interior of 2 Coates Crescent, the headquarters of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club at that time. Note what is on the back wall. It's a painting by Charles Lees which is the main news item this week!

The story is somewhat of a saga, but settle back and have a read, because what you think is important. YOU have a decision to make.

In the summer of 2006, the Scottish Curler revealed that the Royal Club had asked the auction house Sotheby's to value the painting of the Grand Match at Linlithgow Loch, so that it could be insured for the correct amount. The good news was that the painting was worth a substantial sum of money, potentially in excess of £500,000. The bad news was that it needed renovation and would be very expensive to insure.

Sotheby’s was instructed to assess interest in the painting from their private client list with the option to go to an auction sale in autumn 2007.

Meanwhile the RCCC Board of Directors sought the opinion of members about what to do with the painting. The Board believed that there were only three options:
1. Keep the painting but do not restore it
2. Keep the painting and restore it
3. Sell the painting

There were other options of course, such as simply giving it, or loaning it, to the National Galleries of Scotland, or another gallery, but these were not canvassed.

Option 3 received the most support, although concern was expressed that if the painting went to an open auction it might well be bought by a private buyer and disappear abroad, never to be on view in Scotland again. This concern was heeded by the RCCC Board and by February 2007 it seemed that the future of the painting had been secured. Sotheby's was instructed to continue as the selling agent but negotiations were to be with the National Galleries of Scotland only!

It seemed at the time a strange arrangement. The Royal Club Board wanted Sotheby's to sell the painting and at the same time it wanted the National Galleries of Scotland to purchase it. But both seller's agent and the prospective purchaser clearly would have their own, very different, interests. Sotheby's, quite naturally, would want to sell the painting for as large a sum as possible to maximise the percentage fee they would receive. The National Galleries of Scotland, quite naturally, would want to pay as little as possible for the painting.

By June 2007 a report had been produced (never made public) which indicated that the cost of repairing the painting would be much more than at first thought. At the 2007 RCCC AGM it was stated that if the sale did go ahead it would be a year before the painting was again on display.

My own words in a blog post in June 2007 (see here) were, "Call me a pessimist if you like but I suspect this story has a long way yet to run!"

I was correct.

Detail from the painting

The Minutes of the Royal Club Board from August 1, 2007, seemed to show that the parties were close to an agreement. Discussions were to be held on how the money raised from the sale might be used! Such funds would go into the Royal Club's Charitable Trust Fund. The painting was to go on show at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, in Edinburgh.

A public announcement gave cause for optimism that the painting would be saved for the nation. It stated: 'The Board of the RCCC and the RCCC Charitable Trust are pleased to announce that they have agreed to loan the Charles Lees Painting of 'The Grand Match at Linlithgow' to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

RCCC Board Chairman Mike Ferguson said, "We have entered discussions over a possible sale of the painting to the Portrait Gallery. We will continue to work to ensuring that the wishes of the vast majority of curlers, ie that the painting remains in Scotland and open to public view, will be met. We are fully considering our options with regard to the use of the funds generated by any sale. At this stage it would be fair to say the abiding principles that will be passed on to the Directors of the RCCC Charitable Trust will be protection of the capital for curling's future and best use of the income to support curling's heritage and development."

James Holloway, Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery said, "Charles Lees' painting of the Grand Match at Linlithgow is one of Scotland's greatest sporting paintings. I am delighted that we have been allowed by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club to borrow it and display it in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery."

It didn't happen. Negotiations with the National Galleries broke down. In June 2009, Colin Grahamslaw made this statement at the RCCC AGM, "If I can update briefly on the Charles Lees painting, we have been discussing throughout the year with the National Galleries of Scotland their bid for the picture. Unfortunately the situation with the Titians sidelined our picture. It seems to be easier to find 50 million for a couple of Titians than a slightly smaller amount for what we were looking for for our picture but, we continue to talk with the galleries and talk with Sotheby's about potential homes for the Charles Lees painting but, it still remains with the Royal Club and in our ownership and in safe-keeping in appropriate conditions."'

Come right up to date now, August 2010. The matter was discussed by the new Board at their first meeting following the AGM, and a statement made on the Royal Club website, see here.

The extract from the minutes reads, "The Board received a letter from Sotheby’s regarding the sale of the Charles Lees painting. The letter indicated that the Royal Club have been very patient with the National Portrait Gallery regarding their efforts to purchase the Lees painting but with the likelihood of the sale to the Portrait Gallery now virtually non-existent that the Club should look at putting the painting into auction. It was suggested that the picture be put into auction with an appropriate reserve and an estimate of £300-500,000 on it. The Board discussed whether or not it was possible to retain the picture. However it was felt that with an insurance premium of in excess of £6000, un-quantified storage charges and a restoration bill of a minimum of £50,000, possibly escalating to nearer £100,000 that this was not a realistic situation. It was felt that the feeling of the members had been to sell the picture but to try and retain it in Scotland, the Board felt that this had been tried and that the Gallery had been given the opportunity to pay by instalments but still were not able to purchase the picture. It was therefore resolved, reluctantly, that if no alternative solution could be found by the next Board meeting Sotheby’s would be given the authority to take the picture to auction. It was agreed to inform the Gallery of this decision to give them one final chance to make the purchase."

So, the future of one of the sport's greatest masterpieces will be decided this month. The RCCC statement says, "As the extract shows the Board is of the view that best efforts have been made to sell the picture and retain it in Scotland. This has not been possible and therefore the picture should be offered on open auction, it is hoped that this action may stimulate a domestic buyer into action, however it is also recognised that reluctantly the picture may be sold abroad.

The final decision will be taken at the Board meeting in late August. Any alternative suggestions should be directed to the Chairman of the board Mr Willie Nicoll." Willie's contact is given in the statement here.

What do I think? I would hate to see the our painting leave our shores. It is after all owned by all the members of the Royal Club. If it was up to me, I would offer it - free - to the Art Gallery and Museum at Kelvingrove in Glasgow. That gallery might enjoy being one up on the Edinburgh lot! It would be important though to have a commitment that it would be restored and go on show.

But it's not up to me, it's up to YOU, the curlers of Scotland. Spread the word! I suspect that many will be content to see the painting simply go to auction, and a large sum of money go into the Royal Club coffers. Whatever. It is important that the RCCC Board knows the views of the membership.

Notes about the painting:
The Grand Match at Linlithgow Loch took place on January 25, 1848. Thirty-five northern rinks played an equal number of southern rinks, with a further hundred southern rinks playing matches amongst themselves. Including spectators, some six thousand persons were present. The painting is not an accurate representation of the day, it being a composite portrait of all the curling notables of Scotland, Lees using artistic licence to include them as if they had been there. There is evidence to suggest that Lees travelled to the homes of curlers to sketch them, so that their likenesses could be accurately included in the large painting which was completed in 1849. The painting shows clearly the curlers’ dress and the single soled stones which were in use at the time. The painting was purchased by the Royal Club following a decision taken at the AGM in July, 1898.

Wednesday musings

Whenever I am in Edinburgh, and I have even a few minutes to spare, I usually make a quick visit to the National Gallery. It's not that I am an art enthusiast. Anything but. It is to my regret that I have little artistic talent. But the great thing about this gallery, and many in Scotland, is that it costs nothing to nip in, and spend a few moments studying one or two of the works of art on show.

I was pleased to discover in August that Sir George Harvey's famous painting The Curlers was back on display. I wasn't allowed to photograph it of course.

But I do have this print of an engraving of Harvey's painting in my collection. The original painting is rather fine. Even the reproduction online, see here, does not do it justice. For one thing, it's much larger than my print, the colours are vibrant, and there's so much detail. I've been to see it a number of times. It is unfortunate that it has been mounted in a stairwell, and it is difficult to find a stance from which you can examine the picture comfortably.

Here's what the National Gallery says about it. "Harvey conveyed the excitement, humour and enjoyment of one of Scotland's national sports. The curlers are playing outside on a frozen lake, the wintry landscape illuminated by the late afternoon sun, providing a seasonal backdrop for the theatrical composition. The players themselves reflect the whole spectrum of rural society."

The painting was so popular when it was exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1835 that Harvey made a number of copies to meet demand. This is interesting. I think I know where one of the copies is, but where are the others?

An engraving of the picture was made in 1838 by William Howison and published by the influential art dealer, Alexander Hill. I assume it is a print of this that I bought at auction some years ago.

You might think from what I've written above that I'm a big fan of our National Galleries. I'm not. Having entered into an agreement (or so we were told, see the story here) with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club to purchase Lees's painting of the Grand Match at Linlithgow, they reneged on the deal. The value of this Royal Club asset has never been stated publically, but is thought to be in excess of half a million.

The situation today appears unchanged from that stated by the RCCC CEO Colin Grahamslaw at the AGM in June. "If I can update briefly on the Charles Lees painting, we have been discussing throughout the year with the National Galleries of Scotland their bid for the picture. Unfortunately the situation with the Titians sidelined our picture. It seems to be easier to find 50 million for a couple of Titians than a slightly smaller amount for what we were looking for for our picture but, we continue to talk with the galleries and talk with Sotheby's about potential homes for the Charles Lees painting but, it still remains with the Royal Club and in our ownership and in safe-keeping in appropriate conditions."

Ah yes, the Titians!

Earlier this year, the The National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London, announced that Titian’s Diana and Actaeon has been acquired for the nation from the Duke of Sutherland, the acquisition made possible with donations from Scottish Government, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, The Monument Trust, The Art Fund charity and National Gallery, London and National Galleries of Scotland funds, as well as contributions from the general public.

It is said that Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto, both painted by Italian Renaissance artist Titian (Tiziano Vecellio) in the 16th century, rank among the greatest works of art on display anywhere in the world. They are part of the Bridgewater Collection which has been on loan from the Duke of Sutherland to the National Galleries of Scotland since 1945.

Diana and Actaeon was bought for £50 million. The National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery, London, now have the opportunity to acquire Diana and Callisto by 2012 for another £50 million.

The paintings are currently in London, but I made a point of going to see them when they were on display in Edinburgh in August. Was I excited to see two of the 'greatest works of art on display anywhere in the world'? I was not. Try as I did, I just could not appreciate these paintings at all, and I could not see why they could be so valuable. I left thinking that to spend this sort of money on a bit of wallpaper is obscene. I guess I will never be an art lover!

Given the fundraising efforts that are currently ongoing for the new rinks at Cupar and Kinross, I was interested to read how the £50 million had been raised, see here.

Currently on show in the National Galleries, in a pride of place position just as you enter, is Charles Lees's other famous painting The Golfers. It would be nice to think that the Grand Match on Linlithgow Loch would one day hang together with its companion. But I suspect that this will never happen. Unless we just GIVE the Grand Match painting to the National Gallery of Scotland. Or should Sotheby's just be asked to put it up for auction, and the money gained go towards the National Curling Academy at Kinross? Or is doing nothing at present the correct option? Decisions, decisions!

Pics © Skip Cottage. The reproduction of Lees's painting is from the Scottish Curler archive.