This will help us to build on the early success of the Museum of Scotland and to ensure that its future is vibrant

Sir Robert Smith, museum trustees chairman

The money will be used to create an endowment to help pay for future additions to the collection.

Director of development for the National Museums of Scotland, Colin McCallum, has described the benefactor as a "generous and visionary individual".

Sir Robert Smith, chairman of the museum trustees, said: "This is wonderful news for the National Museums of Scotland and for the Museum of Scotland.

"This will help us to build on the early success of the Museum of Scotland and to ensure that its future is vibrant."

The Museum of Scotland, in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, is one of six public museum sites operated by NMS.

National collections

It was opened by the Queen in 1998 and charts Scotland's history from its early beginnings to the present day.

The National Museums of Scotland is a trust created to manage Scotland's national collections of artefacts.

In addition to the Museum of Scotland, there is the Museum of Flight in East Lothian, the Museum of Scottish Country Life, The National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle, and the Shambellie House Museum of Costume in Dumfriesshire.

There is also the Royal Museum which houses the international collections and has 36 galleries containing artefacts from round the globe and natural history specimens.