The Bowes Museum
In 2023 the Bowes Museum held a landmark exhibition centred around their most iconic object, the life-sized automaton silver swan made by the “ingenious mechanick” John Joseph Merlin. His inventiveness was legendary in the late eighteenth-century, and directly inspired Charles Babbage’s invention of the ‘difference engine’ celebrated as the first computer. Amongst Merlin’s other inventions were the roller skates, which he debuted whilst playing a violin of his own making, ending with such famously predictable results that they have become a sketch in Horrible Histories. His interest in improving violins led to unusual designs and his claims as “Cremona Emulus” to demonstrate his interests. I was delighted to support the exhibition and the museum with sourcing and arranging the loan of a trio of violin, viola, and cello made by Merlin. The exhibition was opened by Mischa Maisky, who performed Saint Säens’ The Swan, and throughout the exhibition we were able to support performance opportunities for the museum. Our research blog, written when we first acquired the Merlin violin formed an important source for the museum exhibition catalogue. Read on.
