Working as a mural painter, illuminator, embroiderer and enameller, Phoebe Traquair was one of the most distinguished artists of her generation. She painted murals for St Mary’s Cathedral Song School and the Catholic Apostolic Church in Edinburgh (now the Mansfield Traquair Centre). James Pittendrigh Macgillivray made the plaster version of this bust in the late 1890s. At his own suggestion, he later had it carved in marble by the sculptor Peter Induni. The bust depicts her in working smock and cap, as the artist craftswoman.
Peter Induni (English, about 1883 - 1943)
Born in London, Peter Induni was the son of the Swiss sculptor Gottardo Induni. Around 1913, he attended the Royal Academy Schools. Together with his father, Peter sculpted numerous works which were exhibited in the annual shows at The Royal Academy in London.
James Pittendrigh MacGillivray (Scottish, 1856 - 1938)
James Pittendrigh MacGillivray was a successful and well-known sculptor, poet, painter, printmaker and photographer. Born in the village of Port Elphinstone, Aberdeenshire, MacGillivray trained as a sculptor in Edinburgh and Glasgow. During the 1870s he came into contact with the Glasgow Boys, a group of young artists under whose influence MacGillivray took up painting. In 1886 he married painter Frieda Röhl. Throughout his career Macgillivray mainly worked as a sculptor in bronze, but after the death of his wife in 1910 and his daughter in 1917 he focussed increasingly on poetry and photography. MacGillivray was an outspoken nationalist and a supporter of Home Rule. He was also known for his difficult character which sometimes alienated him from both the public and fellow artists.
