International studio (25.1905)

BINDING FOR "THE BY MRS. TRAQUAIR
SONG OF SOLOMON"
Amongst other notable books she has illuminated
and bound, are the Psalms, still in herown possession,
and "The Song of Solomon"; Rossetti's "Blessed
Damozel" and "House of Life"; R. Browning's
"Saul" (both the latter were published by Mr.
Hay of Edinburgh); as also Dante's "VitaUnana,"
privately published by and the original executed
for Sir T. Gibson Carmichael. Tennyson's " In
Memoriam," again, gave her full scope for poetic
representation : this is now the property of Mr.
Henry Cunningham.
A series which displays to the full the imagina-
tive powers possessed by Mrs. Traquair is " The
Creation," which was compiled from the border
designs used in the decoration of the Song School
of St. Mary's Cathedral, in which mural painting
she had endeavoured " to embody the rapture of
praise " and Ml the place with song. The border,
which runs round the south, west, and north
walls, is Arabesque in design, with thirteen
diamond-shaped medallions, the subjects of which
bear upon those of the panels above, and tell
the story of Creation in biblical sequence. These
medallions, with lettering added, she utilised, by
request of Mrs. Whyte of Edinburgh, for the little
work, " The Creation," which was also privately
published by the owner.
It will be noticed that in two of the three re-

productions given herewith the creative power is
represented by hands thrust through clouds; in
the creation of flowers, however, a more difficult
idea is attempted—the personified spirit is blowing
the flowers into being. One of the most exquisite
imageries of this series is the birth of the spirit.
From the dark circle of earth confining the animal
forms within its sphere, the human spirit is depicted
rising in the shape of a joyous child, over whom
the divine hosts rejoice.
In bookbinding proper Mrs. Traquair confines
herself to the decorative part only, and usually
executes her designs on undressed morocco leather,
worked with a cold tool; her training in this has
also been limited to the purely necessary technical
knowledge which she acquired at the classes of
the Social Union.
Possibly this lack of all but the most fundamental


" THE MARY CASKET : " ENAMEL BY MRS. TRAQUAIR
CASKET WITH IVORY AND SILVER,
PEARL COLOURED FIGURES ON
DARK AMETHYST COLOURED
GROUND

study accounts for the untrammelled imagination
and originality of this gifted artist's designs. She
possesses in a marked degree a natural instinct
for balance as well as colour, and this stands her
in good stead; if at times her enthusiasm runs
away with her draughtsmanship, one feels, as one
does with the Pre-raphaelite masters, that in her

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