To celebrate Queer Bath in 2025, the Queer Holburne Trail explores pieces which have queer themes, narratives and histories, reflecting the diverse and eclectic collection of the Holburne.
The trail aims to promote discussion, discovery and an alternative look at the history of the Holburne collection. Find out more about objects on display in the museum, and objects in our stores below:
Achilles and Patroclus
Giovan Battista dalle Palle, about 1550-60
Italian (Faenza), tin-glazed earthenware dish
“I could recognise him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles
The nature of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a debate that has been raging since Homer (8th century BC) wrote the Iliad. Were they friends or lovers? Today, the trope of queer relationships being labelled as ‘best friends’ or room mates is common, and many have suggested that Achilles and Patroclus were simply friends. Homer never explicitly depicts a romantic relationship, or makes reference to anything sexual between them. However, it is the moment at which Patroclus dies many use to support the theory that they were in a romantic relationship.
Achilles had refused to fight to defend his honour, so Patroclus in a bid to defend it dresses up as Achilles and goes into battle. Hector, Prince of Troy, kills him thinking he is Achilles. When Achilles finds out about Patroclus’ death he descends into a murderous rage, killing Hector, knowing this signs his own death warrant. You can see this depicted in the small wonders section of the Posnett Gallery.
In book 18 of the Iliad, Achilles says that he loved Patroclus ‘as his own life’ and demands their bodies be buried together.
It is with writers such as Plato (428 or 424 – 348 BC) and Aeschylus (c.525 – c.456 BC) that we see Achilles and Patroclus depicted as in a sexual or romantic relationship. Many Ancient Greek writers make reference to a large age gap between the two lovers, though they differ on who is the elder. Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) also portrays them as lovers in Troilus and Cressida.
As interest in Ancient Greece continues to flourish, we see Achilles and Patroclus’ relationship depicted in Emily Wilson’s 2023 translation of the Iliad and in Madeline Miller’s 2011 novel The Song of Achilles, which depicts the couples entire relationship. Using the Iliad as a source Miller shows them as lovers.
Same sex relationships were not uncommon in Ancient Greece. Sappho (c.630 – 570 BC) the Greek poet illustrated her love for women openly. Often compared with Homer, Sappho’s work has been used to support the case for Achilles and Patroclus being lovers. While it must be noted that Achilles and Patroclus were a mythical couple, this Maiolica plate depicts them united together.
Shell cameo of bust of Antinous
Born in Bythinia, a Roman Province (modern-day Turkey), Antinous was the lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (AD 117 – 138). Their relationship is considered by many to be the most famous same-sex relationship of the ancient world. Antinous travelled as part of the imperial entourage on a tour of Egypt and it was while there that he drowned in the Nile in AD 130. Hadrian was so grief stricken by Antinous’s death that its effect was felt across the Roman Empire.
In memory of his life, Antinous was venerated as a god and hero, and a city in the Middle East was founded in his memory: Antinoopolis. It was not uncommon for Roman Emperors to take male lovers, but what is uncommon is the number of effigies made of Antinous after his death; only Emperors Augustus (63 – 14 BC) and Hadrian had more effigies made of them. Antonius is featured on many coins, busts and cameos like this shell cameo, which has been fashioned into a brooch and was collected by the Holburne’s founder, Sir William Holburne.
St Sebastian Plaque
Galeazzo Mondella, known as Moderno, about 1500
Bronze
According to 5th century writings about saints, Sebastian was a middle-aged Roman soldier under pagan emperor Diocletian. As a Christian, he was sentenced to death by archer firing squad as part of the Diocletian Persecution. Miraculously, he did not die in this attack and was nursed back to health by Saint Irene. After his recovery he confronted Diocletian publicly, and was clubbed to death for his insolence. His body was dumped in a sewer before it was retrieved by Saint Lucy and buried in a Roman catacomb.
Saint Sebastian’s legacy has been cemented in art history through sculpture and paintings that depict his torture and demise. Early depictions in the medieval period presented him as a mature figure. Our piece dates from around 1500 and shows him pierced with arrows and bound against a pillar. Created as a talisman against plague, Saint Sebastian was known as the protector against disease and sudden death, and the patron saint of athletes in the early modern period.
It wasn’t until the 19th century that Saint Sebastian became the patron saint of the LGBTQ+ community. A cult following developed among the gay community, due to depictions of him as youthful, with good looks, making him a symbol of male beauty and homoerotic desire. By the mid-19th century, he was depicted as muscular and naked, with arrows piercing his flesh. The social shame associated with being queer in the 19th century was also attached to him. His rejection and loneliness, coupled with the experience of being persecuted, resonated for many. Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) even took Saint Sebastian’s name upon being released from prison and kept a depiction of the saint with him.
In the 20th century queer artists such as Derek Jarman (1942 – 1994), Keith Vaughan (1912 – 1977) and Roberto Gonzalez Fernandez (b.1948) have created their own versions of Saint Sebastian that explore homosexuality and desire in art and film.
Textiles
From Mary Queen of Scots’ tapestries to the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, textiles have a history of being used for resistance, meaning and remembrance. The Holburne has a small collection of textiles from around the world, like the 17th-century pieces on display in the Posnett Gallery. Like this raised embroidery panel showing Orpheus charming the animals with his musical skill. After the death of his wife, Eurydice, Orpheus shunned all female romances, instead turning to young men and rejecting traditional gender roles.
Most recently at the Holburne, we were fortunate to show Diedrick Brackens (b. 1989) Woven Stories, four handcrafted textile panels which employed techniques from West African weaving, Southern American quilting and European Tapestry making, exploring queer identities, allegory and narrative.
One of our young volunteers Zoë Grech has written a short blog on Queer Textiles, as well as creating a ‘Trans-rights are human rights’ cross-stitch chart which you can download to create your own sampler.
David Garrick as Sir John Brute in ‘The Provok’d Wife’ by Sir John Vanbrugh
Johan Zoffany, c.1763
oil on canvas
Before the restoration of Charles II in 1660 and a change in law in 1661, women were not allowed to perform on the English stage. Men would cross dress in order to perform the female roles. While there are accounts of women acting on stage before 1661, these were often in murky back-street theatres, or they were pretending to be men to circumvent the law.
Men who dressed as women on the Restoration stage were known as ‘boy players’. One of the last and most famous of these was Edward Kynaston (1640 – 1706). Diarist Samuel Pepys (1633 – 1703) describes Kynaston as ‘the loveliest lady that ever I saw’ after seeing him in John Fletcher’s play: The Loyal Subject. Part of Kynaston’s appeal was the ambiguity around his sexuality; he was known to travel in carriages with prominent ladies around Hyde Park dressed in his female costume. He was also said to be the lover of George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (1628 – 1687). It must be noted that Kynaston did have a successful career playing male parts as well.
In this painting, Johan Zoffany (1733-1810) portrays actor David Garrick (1716 – 1779) as Sir John Brute in The Provoked Wife c.1763. The restoration comedy of the same name – written in 1697 by John Vanbrugh – was controversial at the time. The play deals with women’s rights, deceit, distraction and unfaithfulness in 17th century England. Lady Brute is seeking distraction from her rude, boorish and drunken husband Sir John Brute, and disguises herself in order to have affairs. The scene this piece depicts is that of Sir John Brute being caught drunk and disorderly, wearing his wife’s dress.
Zoffany became known for his mastery of ‘theatrical conversation pieces’. Five paintings by Zoffany in the Holburne’s collection were acquired by the writer Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965), and first bequeathed to the National Theatre, then transferred to the Holburne. Maugham once described himself as “three quarters normal, one quarter queer”.
A Rainbow Of [Sexual Preferences]. Theme of Gay Pride + portrait of artist watched by potter Emmanuel Cooper
Roberto González Fernández, 1981
Lithograph
Roberto González Fernández’s piece evokes feelings of queer joy and the celebration of Pride. Pride is a celebration of identity but also a time to remember those who fought for equality and LGBTQ+ liberation.
In the UK, what would become ‘Pride’ began in the 1950s with grassroots organisations, which quickly developed into national ones. At this time homosexuality was illegal and the LGBTQ+ community faced widespread discrimination and prejudice.
A key moment in this period was the publication of the Report of the Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution, also known as The Wolfenden Report. Published in 1957, this report recommended the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality to allow same sex relations between consenting over 21s in private. In the wake of this publication, the Homosexual Law Reform Society (HLRS) was formed. However, a motion in 1960 to implement the report’s recommendations was lost. Despite this, HLRS continued to campaign and other groups sprang up.
In 1967, the Sexual Offences Act was passed, which finally implemented the recommendations of the Wolfenden Report ten years after its publication.
In 1969, the events of the Stonewall uprising in New York city propelled the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the US and the UK. The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was formed in the US and an offshoot was formed in the UK, active between 1970 and 1973. Their goal was not changing the law but changing society, through protests and social events. The GLF was a key organiser of the UK’s first Pride March, held in London on July 1st 1972, with an estimated 2,000 attendees.
Despite some improvements, discrimination and prejudice remained rife and was exacerbated by the implementation of ‘Section 28’ in 1988. This law prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality, or publishing any material that would promote it, and banned LGBTQ+ people from teaching in schools. This legislation renewed activism to fight for the repeal of ‘Section 28’, including the foundation of Stonewall UK in 1989.
Between the 1990s and today, there have been many law reforms in favour of the LGBTQ+ community, and the UK has come a long way in the fight for equal rights. However, the recent Scottish Supreme Court decision regarding ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ shows how easy it is to take steps backwards and how Pride is still a necessary event for the LGBTQ+ community.
While this important piece in our collection is not on display at present, we are planning to display it after our redevelopment work has finished.
Portrait of Derek Jarman
Maggi Hambling, 1998
Silkscreen
In 1998, the gallery and print publisher ‘IAP Fine Art’ created 250 prints from Maggi Hambling’s portrait of Derek Jarman, with part of the profits going to The Terrence Higgins Trust, a charity raising awareness and funds for research into AIDS. Depicted here against a deep blue background, a colour Jarman (1942 – 1994) is known for, Hambling (b. 1945) created a striking portrait of her friend, highlighting the pain of losing him.
Derek Jarman was an artist, film maker, gardener and activist who was very public with his diagnosis of HIV in December 1986. HIV was a disease that caused mass concern in the 1980s. Known as the ‘Gay Plague’, it claimed many lives, including Jarman’s. While it is now no longer a death sentence, there is still stigma attached to the disease.
Known for his AIDS campaigning, for his opposition of to ‘Section 28’ and his depiction of queer relationships in his art, Jarman is hailed as a hero of the LGBTQ+ community, who channelled his campaigning through his films. His 1976 Latin Language film Sebastiane portrays the life of Saint Sebastian, and was aimed at gay audiences. The film was seen as controversial for the depictions of homoeroticism portrayed between soldiers. While Saint Sebastian had been viewed as a queer icon from the 19th century onwards, it is with Jarman’s film that we see the narrative of Sebastian as the patron saint of the LGBTQ+ community taking off.
Another of his campaigning films was his 1985 art house drama film The Angelic Conversation, which shows slow-moving photographic homoerotic images and landscape scenes while Judi Dench (b. 1934) reads Shakespeare’s sonnets. Jarman described the film as ‘depicting a dream world’ in which two men take a journey into desire.
His 1993 film Blue would be his last feature film. It consists of a single shot of saturated blue colour filling the screen, while music plays in the background and Jarman describes his life and vision. Jarman was losing his sight and dying of AIDS-related complications when he made Blue, his best-known work, making him synonymous with the colour.
While this important piece in our collection is not on display at present, we are hoping to display Portrait of Derek Jarman after our redevelopment work has finished.
Boy
Natasha Michaels, 2023
Monoprint
The artist Natasha Michaels does not identify as queer. Michaels was born in London in 1969 and studied printmaking at St Martin’s College and the Royal College of Art. In Boy, Michaels is seeking to challenge the traditional conventions of portraiture. This work, part cartoon, part old master, invokes ideas of the great Elizabethan and Jacobean portraits.
Portraiture at that time often played with gender conformity; noble men and women would frequently be depicted wearing elaborate clothing adorned with lace and jewels, while boys were often shown in more feminine attire, including dresses and long hair. To us at the Holburne, Michaels’ work Boy highlights this play with gender and is reminiscent of Orlando, Virginia Woolf’s gender-changing character.
In October 1928, Virgina Woolf (1882 – 1941) published her masterpiece of queer fiction Orlando: A Biography. Set across time this ground breaking novel follows the titular character from the Elizabethan court to 1920s England and from male to female. Written as a love letter to Vita Sackville-West (1892 – 1962), Woolf wrote in her diary on the 5th October 1927, an idea for Orlando: ‘And instantly the usual exciting devises enter my mind: a biography beginning in the year 1500 and continuing to the present day, called Orlando: Vita; only with a change about from one sex to the other.’ Facing page 158 of the novel is a photographic portrait of Vita Sackville-West with a caption that reads ‘Orlando on her return from England.’
Called by Sackville-West’s son Nigel Nicholson (1917 – 2004) ‘the longest and most charming love letter in literature.’ Orlando reflects on Woolf and Sackville-West’s lesbian relationship, and the sadness they felt in not being able to be together as a married couple in 1920s England. The novel also reflects the limitations afforded to women at that time, Vita Sackville-West had lost out in inheriting her family estate, Knole, because she was a woman. Orlando was written by Woolf as both a love letter and compensation for the loss of the estate. In Orlando, now a woman Orlando is able to win back her family estate which bears a striking resemblance to Knole.
In writing Orlando, Woolf is also satirising British Culture, regarding lesbians. Depictions of lesbians in the 19th and 20th centuries were allowed providing they were depicted as a fantastical allegory.
Like Orlando, Boy plays with gender norms. While the piece is called Boy the cartoonish and foppish Elizabethan style gives an air of femininity and transition, just like the character of Orlando.
While this important piece in our collection is not on display at the moment we are hoping to display Boy after our redevelopment work has finished.
We hope you’ve enjoyed exploring some of the stories behind these works in our collection.
Queer Bath exists to uncover and share the hidden queer histories embedded in Bath’s historic buildings and collections. It’s a movement towards meaningful representation, historical accuracy, and cultural equity — powered by joint effort, not individual ownership.
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