Decorative Painting of a Pictorial Kind': William Bell Scott and the Visualisation of National Historical Identity

The focus of the proposed thesis is William Bell Scott (1811-90), a major Scottish artist and influential member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle, who has been almost entirely neglected in art-historical scholarship. The purpose is to examine Scott's most significant works in the context of the mid-19th-century construction of Scottish and wider-British national identity. This will involve detailed analysis of Scott's pictorial works on historical themes, including his major series of wall paintings at Wallington in Northumberland (National Trust) and Penkill Castle in Ayrshire (private ownership), and a series of stained-glass windows produced for the Victoria and Albert Museum [V&A], as well as a large-scale folding screen and four albums of over 1000 preparatory studies at the National Galleries of Scotland [NGS].
These pictorial works will be considered in relation to the socio-political climate in Britain in order to address the following questions:
To what extent did mid-19th-century British artists and patrons seek to situate themselves within a national historical narrative?
How did they assert a sense of national identity in the decoration of public and private environments?
How did Scottish artists and patrons interpret historical subjects?
What were the networks of Scottish artists and patrons across Britain, Europe and the British Empire?
The roles of female artists and patrons in Scott's circle will also be assessed.

This research will coincide with the redevelopment of the Scottish galleries at the Scottish National Gallery, NGS. These are due to open in 2021, during the second year of the studentship, with Scott's little-known screen and his popular painting, Una and the Lion (1860), as key exhibits. By employing a methodology that reflects a trend in contemporary art-historical practice for material studies and object-based analysis, the research will adopt an inter-disciplinary approach that encompasses the history of architecture, literature, fashion and entertainment. The scope of this research provides multiple opportunities for knowledge transfer between a range of heritage organisations; for example, the emphasis on decorative arts complements the recent opening of design galleries at the National Museum of Scotland and V&A Dundee.
Proposed Approach
Although Scott is represented in NGS, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, V&A and Tate, his oeuvre is under-researched. The last academic study was in 1951 and there is no monograph. His involvement with the artistic milieu in Scotland has never been evaluated, and his influence on later Scottish artists has not been appraised. This contrasts dramatically with his English Pre-Raphaelite associates, including William Holman Hunt (1827-1901) and Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-82), who have been the subjects of extensive investigation.
The aim of this project is to redress the balance by interrogating the existing documentation on Scott in order to reveal and reinstate his contribution to Scottish culture. In addition to the material held by NGS, sources to be consulted will include Scott's publications on the decorative arts and the catalogue of his library held by the National Library of Scotland [Mf.25(9)], a chair designed by Scott held by National Museums Scotland [H.1992.1897], and archives at The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock, Newcastle University and V&A, London. There are also significant collections of documents at the University of British Columbia and Princeton University which the candidate intends to access.