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The Progress of a Soul: The Entrance
Phoebe Anna Traquair
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Scottish Art
- Themes: Legend, Fantasy and Imagination
Phoebe Anna Traquair
The Progress of a Soul: The Entrance1895On Display | NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND
This richly coloured and detailed embroidery is the first in a series of four called 'The Progress of a Soul'. The human soul is represented by an ideal young man dressed in an animal skin, in harmony with the rich pattern of the luxuriant natural world around him. Here in 'The Entrance', completed in 1895, he is full of hope and enthusiasm, blissfully ignorant of life's realities. This figure was based on the character of Denys L'Auxerrois from 'Imaginary Portraits' by the English critic and writer Walter Pater. 'The Victory', the last embroidery in the series, was finished in 1902.
Details
- Accession no. NG 1865 A
- Medium Silk and gold thread embroidered on linen
- Size 180.67 x 71.20 cm
- Credit Bequest of the artist 1936
Phoebe Anna Traquair (Scottish, 1852 - 1936)
Traquair's murals, easel paintings, embroideries, book illustrations and jewellery brought her international recognition, as one of the most accomplished artists of the Arts and Crafts movement. She was originally from Dublin but moved to Edinburgh after her marriage to Dr Ramsay Traquair, Keeper of Natural History at the Royal Scottish Museum. She played a significant and practical role in the promotion of decorative art in public buildings, for example, through her murals in the Sick Children's Hospital. In 1920 Traquair became the first woman member of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Glossary Open
Arts and Crafts movement
British movement of the late 19th century which sought to revive handcrafts and improve design in an age of increasing mass-production. Key thinkers associated with the movement are William Morris and John Ruskin.
Easel painting
An easel is a structure that supports a painting while an artist is working on it. Any painting that is executed on an easel could be called an easel painting, though it specifically refers to a portable painting larger than a miniature.
Mural
An artwork or design attached or applied directly to a wall.
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) was formed in Edinburgh in 1826 by Scottish artists who felt alienated by what they perceived as the elitism of the Royal Institution and its management of contemporary art exhibitions. In 1835, the RSA secured exhibition rights in the Royal Institution building, which had been erected on The Mound by the Board of Manufactures in 1826. The RSA and the Board frequently argued over responsibilities for advanced art education. From 1859, the RSA shared the premises of the new National Gallery of Scotland under the Board’s custody. In 1910, after transferring most of its art collections to the Gallery, the RSA gained exclusive tenancy of the former Royal Institution building, where it continues to hold large-scale annual exhibitions.