Emerald is a large-scale tapestry translation of William Scott’s eponymous painting. The semi-abstract imagery and texture of Scott’s painting have been re-constituted in Emerald, and craftsmanship of considerable refinement is evident in the work. Access to the model painting is essential for the weavers to make their translation, and the process entails an extended study of specific details in the colour and surface of a model work. In this tapestry, the forms are not woven in monotone but, rather, each one is created using three or four different gradients of a single hue. The effect is one of great richness and variety within each form. Sustained looking transforms the constellations of subtly different colours into an echo of the artist’s brush marks. The tapestry’s tactile quality, with its densely concentrated weave of wool, is directly related to the exploration of material qualities in Scott’s paintings.

The renowned firm of Edinburgh-based tapestry weavers Dovecote Studios began collaborating with the Estate of William Scott in 2007. The Master Weaver Douglas Grierson was invited by the Estate to select three paintings by Scott which could be translated into tapestry. The painting Emerald (1971, Private Collection) was the source for one of these tapestries. This Emerald tapestry is currently one of only two woven works in the edition. Although an agreement exists that would permit Dovecote Studios to produce five further tapestry translations of the painting, there are currently no plans to make more. On the reverse of the tapestry, alongside the studio mark, there are the stitched initials of the weavers who worked on it: Master Weavers Emma Jo Webster and Louise Trotter.