The Rowan

The Rowan hung proudly behind Scotland’s First Minister’s desk in his office in the Scottish Parliament, it is no exaggeration to say that this painting has become a genuine 21st-century Scottish icon. Containing a number of symbolic elements, it is essentially once again a journey, but to where is the question? The three ages of man are represented here, as well as the dog (for fidelity). and the crow (for hope a lesser-known association dating back to Pictish times), and the word CRASS written on the wall behind which relates to the sound made by the crow, and which in Latin is literally ‘tomorrow’.