The Progress of a Soul: The Entrance
About this artwork
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.
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Updated before 2020
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artist:Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852 - 1936) Scottish
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title:The Progress of a Soul: The Entrance
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date created:1895
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materials:Silk and gold thread embroidered on linen
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measurements:180.67 x 71.20 cm (framed: 223.00 x 88.00 x 5.50 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:Bequest of the artist 1936
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accession number:NG 1865 A
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gallery:
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subject:
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glossary:
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...