From:Williamson Art Gallery and Museum

Name/TitlePaul's Letters from Prison

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 print depicts events from Paul's letters written when he was imprisoned in Rome, titled Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. These letters explore themes of Christian unity and the cosmic power of God. The gallery also holds a woodblock and a watercolour of this design in its collection.

MakerHawthorn, Raymond (1917-1997)

Maker Roleengraver

Period20th century

Medium and Materialsink on paper

Style and Iconographyreligious

Inscription and Marks"(illegible) for Paul's letters from prison"
"Raymond Hawthorn"

Techniqueprint

Measurementsprint height: 9.5cm
print width: 11.5cm
mount height: 25.5cm
mount width: 18cm

Subject and Association KeywordsChristianity

Subject and Association KeywordsPaul the Apostle

Subject and Association Keywordsprison

Subject and Association Keywordsstar

Subject and Association Keywordsscroll

Credit LinePresented by Mark R. Hammer, 2026

Object Typeprint

Object numberBIKGM.9374

Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved