A stone carving depicting Christ on the cross, by an associate working for the sculptor and illustrator Eric Gill, will come up for auction at Golding Young & Mawer in Grantham on September 4 and 5.
Herbert 'Joseph' Cribb was a British sculptor, carver and letter cutter, and the first associate to be taken on by Eric Gill in 1906.
Gill was well-known for his association with the Arts and Crafts - an international design movement that flourished between 1860 and 1910, and continued until the 1930s. He was named Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts and became a founder member of Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry.
This particular carving (Lot 1) is inscribed with the words: Amor Meus Cruci-Fixus Est (my love is crucified) and on the reverse, H J Cribb, 1927 and is expected to realise between £10,000 and £12,000.
Richard Plant consultant auctioneer and valuer at the Grantham sale room said: "This is a very exciting thing to sell, although there is not a lot of precedent of items such as this being sold at auction. It is a little bit of an unknown.
"It is not everyone's cup of tea, with its obvious religious connotations but it is the design element that is the critical. It is synonymous with the Arts and Craft movement and is a great example of British decorative art from this period.
"I think it is an item which Arts and Crafts collectors will be very interested in, it could even be shown in a museum."
