A hand-carved replica set of the Stirling Heads - world-famous masterpieces of Scottish Renaissance art - has been unveiled.

The unveiling, by Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, Michael Russell MSP, marks the completion of five years' work for expert wood carver John Donaldson.

The 41 oak medallions, each a metre wide, are copies of 16th-century originals and feature vivid depictions of a variety of characters including Medieval kings and queens, Roman emperors and mythological heroes.

They were commissioned by Historic Scotland as a key part of its £12m project to return the royal palace at Stirling Castle to how it may have looked in its Renaissance heyday.

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Thirty-seven of the replicas will decorate the ceiling of one of the most important apartments in the palace, the King's Inner Hall.

MSP Mike Russell said: "John's work in creating the replica set has been a tremendous achievement, demanding the very highest standards of artistry and craftsmanship.

"The completion of the new heads represents an important milestone in the wider project to return one of Scotland's finest royal palaces to how it may have looked when it was a childhood residence of Mary, Queen of Scots.

"This is an excellent example of sustainable economic development which we hope will bring benefits to the tourism industry throughout the area."

Mr Donaldson, from Livingston, said: "It has been a wonderful experience to recreate the work of the Renaissance craftsmen who carved the originals 450 years ago.

"It's quite a privilege that my versions of the heads will become part of the castle's story, and to think that in centuries to come people might look at the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall and wonder who carved them."

The heads will now be painted in bright colours, as the originals would have been.

They will be among the attractions of the palace when it opens to the public in 2011.

(GK/JM)