20 letters and notes from the artist Eric Gill to his friend the publisher, book collector and artistic patron of his work, Desmond Flower. In these letters Gill writes about his work at the BBC and creating a sculpture on the Lancashire coast in Morecambe, makes corrections and emendations to his book Art Nonsense which was published by Flower’s family publishing firm, Cassell, and accepts the commission for Flower’s personal bookplate which Gill designed for him.
Desmond Flower (1907-1997) was the son of Sir Newman Flower who turned Cassell into a publishing power-house and subsequently his bibliophile son developed friendships with many of the company’s authors. Eric Gill (1882-1940) was one of the great artists of the twentieth century and, as he observes in one of the letters here in February 1935, a very busy man: ‘I am overwhelmed with work at present’.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Letters: 9 Autograph letters to Desmond Flower, 1928-1935; 1 ALS to Symons, 1933
Postcards: 9 Notecards to Flower, 1930-1935; 1 to George Friend (print maker), 1930; 1 plain card to unnamed recipient, 1933; 2x franked envelopes to Flower and 1 to Donald Attwater (Catholic author). Flower has inserted several explanatory notes of his own relating to the letters and there is a typed schedule of the selection. Provenance: Sotheby’s London, 20 July 1989, lot 470 £1650.
NARRATIVE Earliest in the sequence of letters from Gill is a pair sent to Desmond Flower and to his father, Sir Newman Flower. In the latter Gill acknowledges the older man’s gratitude for the ‘small carving’ which had ‘arrived safely and that you are pleased with it’. This was a commission which Gill accepted as a 21st birthday present to Desmond, the Girl with a Comb in her Hair (Bonhams, Lot 61, 12 June 2019, £262,000). On the same day Gill also wrote to his son from Capel-y-ffin, 5th September, 1929, about an unnamed sculpture acquired by Desmond Flower himself and arranging to have it brought ‘by car’ to Piggotts later in the year - presumably for alteration by the sculptor. This letter is accompanied by a note in Flower’s hand that it is ‘not to be confused with other letter of same date. This refers to another carving which I bought myself.’ A note from February 1930 notes his purchase of ‘Belle Sauvage’ drawings - ‘I propose to charge you three guineas for the Belle Sauvage drawings’ observes Gill, with annotation by Flower to the effect that Gill had repaired the ‘little stone’ for Belle Sauvage which had been damaged in transit and which Flower would use on the title page of Art Nonsense (see another note in Flower’s hand). In a note of 30 December 1930 Gill gently questions Flower’s decision to print from the block for a Christmas card ‘on such rum material. I do think it was a rum idea of yours! Whatever made you think of it.’ Gill repeatedly references his work carving Prospero and Ariel at BBC Broadcasting House: ‘am making at BBC all this week...’ and while discussing lunch arrangements in January 1932, ‘I have started work again at Portland Place.... I am always on the scaffold until 1.30...’ 1932 also saw Gill design Flower’s bookplate (P848 Eric Gill: The Engravings): ‘I’ll be very pleased to do bookplate incorporating Lion’s Head and Star and Motto Sola deus Salus. But tell me is Lion’s head sideways or facing front? If sideways I suppose he’s looking to reader’s left. What?’ - the lion’s head faces left in the final design. Gill also debates print costs, the return of his manuscript for Art Nonsense (March 1933), and proof corrections alongside his work in Morecambe (April 1933). In his final letters Gill discusses what he might write about Canon Gray - the subject of one of his portraits.
