From:Williamson Art Gallery and Museum
Name/TitleGospel of St. Luke
About this objectRaymond Hawthorn (1917-1997) was a British wood engraver and printmaker. Born in Dorset in 1917, he studied art at the Coventry School of Art from 1935-9 and Hornsey School of Art from 1939-40. He was local to the Wirral, being a member of the Wirral Society of Arts and a teacher at the Laird School of Art. Throughout his career, he created collections of engravings to be used as illustrations in books, for example, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, trans. Richard Aldington, 1962), The Life of Alexander the Great (trans. Aubrey de Sélincourt, 1970), and The Rise and Fall of Athens (Ian Scott-Kilvert, 1967). His artistic process involved engraving woodblocks for prints as well as watercolour paintings. His work is complex, detailed and uses a monochrome palette. This design comes from a collection made for a Pelican Edition of Commentaries on the New Testament published in the late 20th century.
This woodblock depicts the events of the Gospel of St. Luke, which emphasises the fact that Jesus is a saviour of the people and focuses on his mercy for sinners, outcasts and the poor, as well as his Jewish origins.
MakerHawthorn, Raymond (1917-1997)
Maker Roleengraver
Period20th century
Medium and Materialswood
Style and Iconographyreligious
Inscription and Marks"Gospel of St. Luke"
Signature of "Raymond Hawthorn"
Notes on storage conditions
Techniquewoodblock
Measurementsheight: 9.5cm
width: 11.5cm
depth: 2cm
Subject and Association KeywordsChristianity
Subject and Association Keywordsoutcast
Subject and Association Keywordsst. Luke
Subject and Association KeywordsCross
Credit LinePresented by Mark R. Hammer, 2026
Object Typewoodblock
Object numberBIKGM.9358
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved