The New Baroque celebrates contemporary jewellery design which emphasises aspects of opulence, drama, and intricate narrative detailing, blending classical richness with modern innovation. Included are statement pieces that feel both timeless and theatrical, evoking the grandeur of the Baroque era while aligning with bold, expressive trends. There is
a sense of the ornamental blended with artistic flair and individuality.

With examples by Malcolm Appleby, Rachel Larkins, Grainne Morton and Guy Royle, The New Baroque brings together individuality, creativity, and a deep appreciation for craftsmanship.

Malcolm Appleby

Born: 1946

Place of Birth: West Wickham, London

Malcolm Appleby was born in 1946. He studied at Central School of Art, Sir John Cass and the Royal College of Art in London before establishing his studio in Scotland in 1969. A silversmith and metal engraver, known for his imaginative use of line and form, he considers gold “just another lovely material to work with.”

The Scottish Gallery has been associated with Malcolm Appleby since the 1970s; the many facets of his work have brought joy to many, each piece sold marking the beginning of a journey of discovery around this senior artist. The Gallery honoured Malcolm Appleby’s seventieth birthday in January 2016, which marked over fifty years of a creative tour de force. Malcolm Appleby has dedicated his artistic practice primarily to engraving and pushing the boundaries of metalwork; constant experimentation has made him a master of his craft and in 2014 he received an MBE for his outstanding contribution to the arts.

2019 marked fifty years since Malcolm Appleby first set up his studio in Scotland and the exhibition 50 Golden Years in Scotland, featuring both jewellery and silversmithing, recognised his unique contribution to the arts. Malcolm’s infectious enthusiasm for his craft, his willingness to work with other artists and his pleasure in sharing his skills is characteristic of his generosity and pre-eminence. The natural world that surrounds Malcolm’s studio informs every piece; the artist’s inspiration unlimited in the abundance of the world around him.

Public Collections include:
The Victoria & Albert Museum, London; The Goldsmiths’ Company, London; British Museum, London; Royal Armouries, Tower of London; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums; The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh; and Perth Museum & Art Gallery

Malcolm’s jewellery collection can be viewed here.

In August 2021 we celebrated Malcolm Appleby’s 75th birthday with Malcolm Appleby & Friends. Previous exhibitions include 50 Golden Years in Scotland in March 2019 and The Gallery also hosted a special exhibition in January 2016 to celebrate Malcolm Appleby’s 70th birthday.

Rachel Larkins

Born: 1974

‘For the September ‘Folk at Heart’ exhibition, I made a small collection inspired by the mystery of the seventeen miniature coffins found by a group of boys in a small cave at Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh in late June 1836. Eight of these coffins survive to the present day and are displayed in the National Museum of Scotland. The pieces I have created are a response to the theories and related folklore which have evolved since their discovery.’ Rachel Larkins

Rachel Larkins is a designer maker whose practice has focussed on creating jewellery with a strong sense of narrative and a nod to the tradition of miniatures. Larkins works primarily in resin, brass and wood, often encapsulating imaginary scenes and figures which are hand modelled and painted. Based in the village of Sopley, Larkins’s influences range from the surrounding rural landscape and seasonal folklore to magical realism in literature and painting.

‘I have always been drawn to objects behind glass, perhaps in recognition that someone from the past has preserved those things considered precious and ephemeral; mourning jewellery holding hair; bell jars holding birds, insects or dolls; dioramas and ships in bottles. The wearable pieces I make are influenced by the intimacy and hidden stories of small scale miniatures as well as by folklore and fairy tales.’ Rachel Larkins

Grainne Morton

Born: 1970

Place of Birth: Lurgan, Northern Ireland

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Grainne was immersed in and surrounded by the traditional crafts, folklore, music and fairy tales of the country. Perhaps it’s this beginning to her story that has now imbued her work with it’s somewhat contradictory nature – all at once vintage and contemporary, precious and non-precious, spontaneous and ordered, junk and treasure. Each piece, carefully choreographed, the arranging and re-arranging of little objects, and precious things, moved and re-placed until they establish a relationship to each other and tell a story to the viewer.

Moving to Edinburgh in the late eighties to study at Edinburgh College of Art led to Grainne becoming an avid collector of antiques and ephemera. When her parents visited her in Edinburgh, they would go on antique-buying trips for their shop at home in Northern Ireland, and Grainne would tag along. Her collections became her inspiration, and her inspiration became her work. This use of unexpected, and delightfully juxtaposed, materials is where it all started, and 25 years later, is now firmly her trademark. Grainne’s work has been exhibited internationally and, in 2007, she was shortlisted for the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize.

Public Collections include:
National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh; Crafts Council Collection, London; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada; Ulster Museum, Belfast

Guy Royle

Born: 1954

Place of Birth: Devon

Guy Royle’s jewellery inhabits a space between the definitions of Art and Craft; mingling influences from both, yet never so far as becoming exclusively one or the other. Brooches are paintings in metal, necklaces are sculptures for the human form, while the tones, shades and textures of raw materials are his palette. This combination of elements brings a timeless and natural quality to his work. What is more, Guy’s jewellery is graceful for its functionality; whatever beauty stems from his work, has derived, and is inseparable from its intent to be worn.

Using the simplest of tools and methods, he works mainly with sheet silver, which is cut, bent, beaten and formed. This metal work compliments his use of natural pebbles and semi-precious stones, which are ground, shaped and drilled into beads.

Since the nineteen-eighties Guy has made a name as a jeweller, however, his varied practice includes printing, painting and weaving. Except for his time at Morley College of Art, Guy is largely self-taught. Perhaps more valuable than any formal education, 25 years as an assistant to the artist Breon O’Casey’s has proved of deeper and more longstanding influence.

The New Baroque

Malcolm Appleby

Rachel Larkins

Grainne Morton

Guy Royle

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