'It is not an allegory but the Te Deum': Phoebe Anna Traquair, art, and the Divine
Date & Time
Fri, 30 Jan 2026
14:00 - 15:30
Venue
Blackfriars Hall
St Giles, Oxford
Price
Free
Tickets
Get ticketsWhy you should come
AI-powered• Hear Dr Clare Broome Saunders analyze Traquair’s murals and their link to the Book of Kells
• Learn how Traquair used Arts and Crafts principles to reconnect society with the environment
• Discover the influence of William Blake’s medievalism on Traquair’s public art commissions
About this event
Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852–1936) was a leading contributor to the British Arts and Crafts movement and one of the first three women elected to the Royal Scottish Academy. Born in Dublin, her career was profoundly shaped by childhood visits to medieval manuscripts at Trinity College, particularly the Book of Kells. This influence of medieval documents—specifically the use of color and the interaction of text and image—remained a constant theme throughout her professional life in Edinburgh, where ...
Event Highlights
- •Exploration of Phoebe Anna Traquair’s role in the British Arts and Crafts movement
- •Analysis of the influence of the Book of Kells on Traquair’s use of color and text
- •Discussion on how Traquair’s murals and embroideries sought to elevate the everyday to the divine
- •Examination of the link between William Blake’s medievalism and Traquair’s artistic vision
Speaker
Dr Clare Broome Saunders
Senior Tutor, Blackfriars Hall
Programme
‘It is not an allegory but the Te Deum’: Phoebe Anna Traquair, art, and the Divine.’
A talk by Dr Clare Broome Saunders exploring the life, art, and divine inspirations of Phoebe Anna Traquair.
Organized by: Blackfriars Hall
Contact: 01865 278400