{Artist} Phoebe Anna Traquair

Happy Monday dolls!! I hope all the Mothers here in the UK and Europe enjoyed their Mother's Day! I had a great sleep in and lazed around all day. Very well taken care of, I had a wonderful day :) I hope you did too. I decided to start the week off with some art...what I love most!! I included as many pictures as possible and tried to cut the bio as much as I could, I know some are against reading it seems, haha. So, I tried to make it as simple as possible, but Art is not as simple as it appears, it's as complex as the sea and it's what I love. I do hope you enjoy & if your ever in Edinburgh, you really must go and enjoy the panels in real life....they are amazing, The National Gallery as a whole is one of my favourite places! Have a wonderful Monday dolls!!

xoxox

I love a good wander around the National Gallery of Scotland while I'm in Edinburgh. The capitol itself is such a picaresque view of loveliness and fully seeped in history. As soon as you walk in the doors, you are met with some of the greatest art pieces you'll ever see. The inviting colours of the rooms give a harmonious backdrop to the treasures it has in store. One spot I always love to go to is at the bottom to the Scottish Art floor, as there are so many artists one doesn't hear so much of compared to Monet, Manet, ect. One artist such as this is, Phoebe Anna Traquair. Her amazingly exquisite embroidered panels and drapes, hang in their glory for all to see called,  'The Progress of the Soul'.  The richly coloured and detailed embroidery is a series of four. The human soul is represented by an ideal young man dressed in 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', is the last embroidery and was finished in 1902. 

{Pictures Below}

These are silk and gold thread embroidered on linen panels.
The size of them are 180.67 x 71.20 cm (Framed 223.00 x 88.00 x 5.50cm)


1. 'The Entrance' 1895

2. 'The Stress'  1897

3. 'Despair' 1899

4. 'The Victory' 1902

(you can click on the photo to see it larger)

Phoebe Anna Traquair (born in  1852 – died, August 4, 1936) was an Irish artist who rose to prominence in Edinburgh and went on to produce a amazing volume of work. She belonged to the Arts & Crafts movement in Scotland and worked in a number of disciplines including embroidery, jewellery making, metal work, painting, illustrating and book design. She painted large murals in several buildings, including the Catholic Apostolic Church & the Chapel of the Royal Hospital for sick children, both in Edinburgh. Notably, she illuminated the book "Sonnets from the Portuguese" by the poet Elizabeth Barratt Browning, but she is most likely best known today for her exquisite embroidered panels and drapes. Traquair is a unique figure in both British Art and the Arts and Crafts movement, and she has been identified as the first significant woman artist in modern Scotland. She was also the first woman member of the Royal Scottish Academy. 

(Up close look at the embroidered panel, 'The Victory'.) 

{Some of Phoebe's other works}

Necklace. 1908 (made); Place: Edinbu

{The Mansfield Traquair Centre is a former Catholic Apostolic Church located on the edge of Edinburgh's historic New Town. Phoebe painted the mural on the walls in the 1890's.}

{Pendent - 'The Song'}

"Grand Piano for the Great Hall at Lympne Castle, Kent." 1909-1911. Phoebe Anna Traquair

"The Bonskeid Cabinet" Oil on oak, 1893. Private collection.

"The Ten Virgins Casket" Wood lined silver casket with twelve enamelled copper plaques and decorated with semi precious stones. 1907. Hunterian Art Gallery, Glasgow.

Binding on F.G Stephens "Rosetti" 1898.

"Angel Powers" Chapel of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh. Detail. 1885-6.

♥