Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi; Being the 26th and 27th Chapters of Saint Matthew's Gospel from the Latin Text
Waltham Saint Lawrence: Golden Cockerel Press, 1926. Small quarto (10 1/2 inches tall), original cream white cloth, uncut, original dust jacket. Bookplates. Book nearly-fine, scarce jacket with modest loss at the base of the spine, modest creasing, short tears and a longer repaired tear at upper rear. A nearly-fine copy. Item #1852
THE LAST HOURS IN THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST
Limited edition of Eric Gill's Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi—the Latin text of the Gospel of Matthew illustrated with 6 exquisite engravings capturing the Last Hours of the Life of Jesus Christ. Published during Lent in March 1926, The Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ finds Eric Gill at the absolute zenith of his skills. This copy—one of only 250 printed by Robert Gibbings at the Golden Cockerel Press—is complete with the scarce original "Mary Magdalen" dust jacket. A lovely copy, especially desirable in the valuable illustrated jacket.
After converting to Roman Catholicism in 1913, Eric Gill secured his first major commission when he was hired to sculpt the Stations of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral. The formative work on the Stations took four years to complete; Gill would return to the imagery of the Passion again and again in later years. To accompany the Latin text, specifically the 26th and 27th chapters of the Gospel of Matthew, Gill prepared 6 wood-engraved illustrations depicting the final day in the Life of Christ—from the Last Supper to the Vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane to the Crucifixion at Golgotha—including tender images of Jesus with Mary Magdalen (which appears on both the title page and the front panel of the jacket) and Judas Iscariot ("The Kiss of Judas").
The dread of Gethsemane ("The Agony in the Garden") foreshadows three of Gill's most accomplished images of the Crucifixion ("The Carrying of the Cross, The Crucifixion, and The Deposition"). Reviewed by the Times Literary Supplement on 29 July 1926, the reviewer noted "this is a production for which we have nothing but praise. The first requirements, a harmony of form and balance of weight between illustrations and type, are perfectly fulfilled... In spirit Mr Gill's illustrations could hardly be bettered; they are both religious and decorative." Chanticleer 35; Evan Gill: Bibliography of Eric Gill, 276; Christopher Skelton. Eric Gill: The Engravings P349 - 354.
Price: $3,000.00