Bernadette, Ora Pro Nobis (Bernadette, Pray for Us) by Eric Gill. A wood engraving on wove (China) paper. Number 13 of 50, signed “Eric G” lower right. Hinge-mounted; sheet size approximately 17 × 15 cm; image size approximately 12 × 10 cm; mount approximately 25 × 23 cm. Auction-house labels to the verso of the mounting.
Excellent, clean condition — no discernible spotting.
Eric Gill (1882–1940) converted to Roman Catholicism in 1913 and remained so for the rest of his life; devotional subjects such as this were central to his work. Described in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as “the greatest artist-craftsman of the twentieth century”, his reputation has rightly taken a battering since the revelations about his abusive behaviours, but his technical skills as an engraver and typographer continue to be widely admired.
