The Progress of a Soul: Despair
About this artwork
This richly coloured and detailed embroidery is the third in a series of four called The Progress of a Soul. The figure in each panel was based on the character of Denys L'Auxerrois from Imaginary Portraits by the English critic and writer Walter Pater. In this panel, Despair, made between 1897-99, an exhausted Denys, on the brink of death, hangs from the vine branches. The briar thorns close to his feet allude to Christ’s Crucifixion, introducing Christian symbolism into an otherwise pagan scene.
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title:The Progress of a Soul: Despair
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accession number:NG 1865 C
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materials:Silk and gold thread embroidered on linen
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date created:Completed 1899
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measurements:184.70 x 74.90 cm (framed: 225.00 x 92.00 x 6.00 cm)
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credit line:Bequest of the artist 1936
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photographer:Antonia Reeve
Phoebe Anna Traquair
Phoebe Anna Traquair
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…