Eric Gill | Carved Font

3D ModelNoAI

A stone font carved by Eric Gill, c. 1916. One of his lesser-known pieces of work, located in St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Pickering, North Yorkshire. Four scenes include Joseph teaching infant Jesus the carpentry trade, and St. Nicholas distributing gifts to children. Some nice foliage tracery is also featured. Eric Gill was a founding member of the Guild of St. Joseph and St. Dominic in 1920 as part of the Ditchling Arts and Crafts Movement, so it seems an appropriate summation of his views on craftsmanship and his Catholic faith to feature Joseph himself on a font, in a church dedicated to the man.

I’m well aware of the controversies surrounding Gill’s bizarre private life, recounted in posthumous biographies. Nevertheless, he is an important influence on 20th Century art and this carving is not well known, so I feature it here for those interested.

105 images taken in the cramped side chamber of St. Joseph’s in April 2022. Processed in Metashape and Blender, and run through Agisoft Delighter.