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.

Audio commentary

This commentary is part of the National audio tour. Listen to the whole tour in Smartify.