Workshop practices and the making of sculpture: authorship and collaboration in the work of Eric Gill, 1909 to 1940 Ruth cribb A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Brighton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) December 2013 ABSTRACT Workshop practices and the making of sculpture: authorship and collaboration in the work of Eric Gill, 1909 to 1940. This thesis examines the making of sculpture and the identity of Eric Gill in the first half of the twentieth century. A period of complex practical and theoretical innovation in Britain, histories have tended to be simplified, focussing on the idea of direct carving as an autonomous and isolated process. Gill was a key figure in this period and his persona as an isolated craftsman and art-world exile has precluded balanced accounts of the collaborative nature of his work. The study maps the complexities of sculptural practice lying behind the ideologies of modernist production, interrogating ideas of sole authorship that have developed around the notion of direct carving. It advances understanding of Gill’s workshop practice and his collaborative work with his patrons, assistants and the art market. Extensive archival research has enabled a detailed mapping of Gill’s workshop practices and professional relationships to create a study which explores all aspects of the collaborative nature of making sculpture. The thesis covers the following research questions: how has authorship been presented in discussions about early twentieth century sculpture and has this changed since Gill’s death; in light of this how has Gill's work and workshop been presented during his lifetime and since? How did Gill position himself as an artist-craftsman within the workshop and beyond? Finally, how do these presentations relate to the realities of producing sculptures at this time (workshops, patrons, the art market) and what can a detailed study of these realities tell us about the making and presentation of the artist as author? In mapping the making of sculpture in this period the study presents a new appreciation of the complexities and collaborations that were, and are, a reality for many sculptors. The study provides an alternative perspective on the nature of authorship, creative and practical collaboration, and a new understanding of public perceptions of sculptors at the time. Finally, this thesis places the work, and workshop, of Eric Gill in the context of the critical reception he received and presents a broader appreciation of his collaborative processes. Abstract Ruth Cribb 2013 i contents Abstract i Contents ii List of Illustrations 1 Acknowledgements 14 Author’s declaration 15 Introduction 16 Chapter One: The Workshop 35 Introduction Opponents and Influences: Gill’s theories of art production The Workshop: Design and Execution The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic Conclusion: Gill, Author and Artist Chapter Two: The Art Market 77 Introduction Modernism and ‘Style’ Sculptures and Sales Making the Sculpture Conclusion Contents Ruth Cribb 2013 ii Chapter Three: Patronage and Religion 121 Introduction Competition and Negotiation Design and Execution Style and Critical Reception Conclusion Chapter Four: Architecture and Sculpture 162 Introduction Modernism and Architecture Artist as Contractor The Workshop and the Architect Conclusion Conclusion 206 Bibliography 213 Appendix I: Assistants and Apprentices 1906 to 1940 233 Appendix II: Example spread sheet showing information compiled 234 from Eric Gill’s diary, 1910 Appendix III: Example spread sheet showing information compiled 267 from Eric Gill’s workbooks, 1910 Illustrations 279 Contents Ruth Cribb 2013 iii List of illustrations Introduction Figure 1: Howard Coster. Eric Gill. c. 1934. Photograph. The Albert Sperison Collection of Eric Gill, The Gleeson Library, University of San Francisco. Chapter One Figure 2: Eric Gill. Apocalypse. 1936. Engraving. 16 x 11 cm. Christopher Skelton, Eric Gill: The Engravings, London: Herbert Press, 1983, P909. Print. Figure 3: Bodhisattva; torso, in royal costume. Red sandstone. Fourth to fifth century AD (Gupta). 87 cm. From Sānchī, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Coomaraswamy, Visvakarma. Plate XVII. Print. Figure 4: Four Architectural Figures. Medieval. Size unknown. Bhojpur, Bhopal. Coomaraswamy, Visvakarma. Plate LXX. Print. Figure 5: Eric Gill. Contortionist. 1912. Hoptonwood Stone. 22.8 cm. Location unknown. Rutherston, Eric Gill. Plate 6 (titled Tumbler). Print. Figure 6a: Eric Gill. Ecstasy (undamaged). 1910-11. Portland stone. 137.2 x 45.7 x 22.8 cm. Tate T03477. Photograph. Undated. Joseph Cribb Archive. Figure 6b: Eric Gill. Ecstasy. 1910-11. Portland stone. 137.2 x 45.7 x 22.8 cm. Tate T03477. Photograph. Undated. John Skelton Archive. Figure 7: Photographs of sculptors at work in the first half of the twentieth century. The Courtauld Institute of Art, London. Online catalogue [n.d.]. Web. 30 April 2013. www.artandarchitecture.org.uk. JPEG Files. Top left: Leon Underwood working on The Cathedral. 1930-31. Wood. Top Right: Phoebe Stabler working on Fortitude in the doorway of the Acton YWCA. First half of the twentieth century. Stone. Left: Maurice Lambert working on Departure of Birds. First half of the twentieth century. Alabaster. List of Illustrations Ruth Cribb 2013 1 Figure 8: Goupil Gallery. Catalogue of Works by Eric Gill. January 1914. Printed catalogue. National Art Library, V&A, London: 200B.178. Figure 9: Joseph Cribb. Workbook entry for King’s College for Women inscription. 1914. Joseph Cribb Archive. Chapter Two Figure 10: Paul Gauguin. Christ Jaune. 1889. Oil on canvas. 92.1 x 73.3 cm. Albright Knox Art Gallery. Online collection [n.d.]. Web. 19 January 2013. www.albrightknox.org. JPEG File. Figure 11: Aristide Maillol sculptures. Bertrand Lorquin, Aristide Maillol, Geneva: Skira, 1994, a: 35; b: 177. Print. a. Aristide Maillol . La Source (The Spring). 1898. Wood. 35cm. b. Brassaï. Aristide Maillol’s studio. Photograph. 1934. Figure 12: Eric Gill. Eve. 1927-8. Bath stone with added colour. 73.7 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm. Tate T00583. Tate online catalogue [n.d.]. Web. 19 January 2013. www.tate.org.uk. JPEG File. Figure 13: Eric Gill. Crucifixion/Weltschmerz. 1909-10. Hoptonwood stone with added colour. 94.6 x 78.1 x 12.7 cm. Tate N03563. Photograph. Undated. Joseph Cribb Archive. Figure 14: Eric Gill. Joie de Vivre/A Roland for an Oliver. 1910. Hoptonwood stone with added colour. 94.6 x 68 x 13.3 cm. University of Hull Art Collection. Photograph. Undated. Joseph Cribb Archive. Figure 15: Eric Gill. Mulier BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary). 1911. Portland Stone. 215 cm. Eric Gill Artwork Collection, UCLA, Clark (William Andrews) Memorial Library. Personal photograph by the author. 21 November 2008. Figure 16: Eric Gill. Garden Statue: The Virgin. 1911-12. Portland Stone. 152.4 cm. a. In the yard at Gill’s house in Ditchling. Undated. Photograph. Joseph Cribb Archive. b. Installed in the ‘Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition’, Grafton Galleries, London. 1912. List of Illustrations Ruth Cribb 2013 2 Alongside: Henri Matisse Seated Nude (Olga) (1910. Bronze); Dance I (1910. Oil on canvas); Jeanette IV (c.1910. Bronze). Cork, Wild Thing, 50. © Tate. Print. Figure 17: A Woman. Thirteenth century. Sandstone. Size unknown. In situ on the Sun Temple, Konārak. Coomaraswamy, Visvakarma, Plate LVI. Print. Figure 18: Eric Gill. The Nuptials of God. 1922. Engraving. 6.5 x 5 cm. The Game, Vol. VI, No. 34, January 1923: 3. Joseph Cribb Archive. Print. Figure 19: Eric Gill. The Golden Calf. 1912. Hoptonwood Stone with added colour and gilding. 23.8 x 40 cm. Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin. Rutherston, Eric Gill, Plate 10. Print. Figure 20: Eric Gill. St Simeon Stylites. 1912. Portland Stone. 45.5 cm. Location unknown. Thorp, Eric Gill, Plate 4. Print. Figure 21: Henri Matisse. La Danse I. 1909. Oil on canvas. 259.7 x 390.1 cm. Museum of Modern Art, New York: Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller in honour of Alfred H. Barr, Jr. 201.1963. © 2013 Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Online catalogue [n.d.]. Web. 19 January 2013. www.moma.org. JPEG File. Figure 22: Chenil Gallery. Sculptures by Eric Gill. January 1911. Printed catalogue. National Art Library, V&A, London: 200.B.117. Figure 23: Goupil Gallery. Eric Gill Sculpture & Drawings. February 1928. Printed catalogue. National Art Library, V&A, London: 200.B.178. Figure 24: Eric Gill. Mother and Child – half length. 1914. Bath Stone. Size unknown. Location unknown. Rutherston, Eric Gill, Plate 14. Print. Figure 25: Eric Gill. Madonna and Child (Series 2). 1912-13. Painted plaster. 19 x 5.1 x 6.4 cm. Eric Gill Artwork Collection, UCLA, Clark (William Andrews) Memorial Library. Personal photograph by the author. 21 November 2008. Figure 26: Eric Gill. Essay: Female Torso and Head. 1913-15. Bath stone. 56 x 16 x 16 cm. Private Collection. Thorp, Eric Gill, Plate 7. Print. List of Illustrations Ruth Cribb 2013 3 Figure 27: Eric Gill. Workbook entry 1021: Work for Goupil Exhibition. 1927-8. Series 7, Subseries 1, Collection on Eric Gill, MS Gill, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles. Figure 28: Eric Gill. Adam. 1927-28. Bath stone. 72 x 16 x 15 cm. Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin. Thorp, Eric Gill, Plate 25. Print. Figure 29: Eric Gill. Estin Thalassa. 1909. Hoptonwood stone with added colour. Size unknown. Location unknown. a. Photograph showing the scale of the sculpture (possibly Joseph Cribb in the background). Undated. Joseph Cribb Archive. b. Photograph. Undated. John Skelton Archive. Figure 30: Eric Gill. Study for Sculpture: Estin Thalassa. 1909. Pencil on paper. 28.6 x 21.3 cm. Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin: HRC935. Cork, Wild Thing, 21. Print. Figure 31: Eric Gill.