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(Herbert) Joseph Cribb (1892–1967) was a British sculptor, carver and letter-cutter. Born in
Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. I ...
, London, Cribb's career as an artist began when he was fourteen. He was recruited by
Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as ″the greatest artist-cra ...
as his assistant in 1906 and was taught letter cutting and masonry skills by his master. He was suggested to Gill by his father Herbert William Cribb's associate, the Arts and Crafts printer
Emery Walker Sir Emery Walker FSA (2 April 1851 – 22 July 1933) was an English engraver, photographer and printer. Walker took an active role in many organisations that were at the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement, including the Art Workers Gu ...
. His father was a graphic artist, specialising in cartography. In 1907 he moved with Gill to
Ditchling Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling. ...
in Sussex. In 1908 Joseph entered a formal apprenticeship with Gill and extended his skills into carving, assisting Gill with many of his early sculptures in Ditchling, then Ditchling Common. Joseph followed Gill into the Roman Catholic church and later also followed him into the Dominican Third Order. He completed his apprenticeship in 1913, but continued working with Gill, particularly on the
Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...
''Stations of the Cross'' until his army service in France, 1916–19. During the later part of his service he joined the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries (forerunner of the Imperial War Graves Commission, later Commonwealth War Graves) and participated with Eric Gill's brother Macdonald (Max) in the design of the standard war grave tombstone, making over 50 originals for the many regimental badges represented. After Cribb returned from France he continued working with Eric Gill, leading the work of various assistants and drawing his brother Lawrence into Gill's team, which was busy making war memorials. In 1920 Cribb joined Gill,
Hilary Pepler Harry Douglas Clark Pepler (1878–1951), known as Hilary Pepler, was an English printer, writer and poet. He was an associate of both Eric Gill and G. K. Chesterton, working on publications in which they had an interest. He was also a founder wi ...
and
Desmond Chute Desmond Macready Chute (1895–1962) was an English poet and artist, who became a Catholic priest in 1927. Early life He was born in Bristol, the son of James Macready Chute (1856–1912) and his wife Abigail Philomena Henessy (1855&nda ...
in setting up the Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, an association of Catholic artists and craftworkers on Ditchling Common. From 1920 Cribb also started taking on his own commissions, also initially making war memorials. His first large sculptural commission was a crucifix for the war memorial at
Downside Abbey Downside Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in England and the senior community of the English Benedictine Congregation. Until 2019, the community had close links with Downside School, for the education of children aged eleven to eighteen. Both ...
. When Gill left the Guild and moved first to Wales and later to Buckinghamshire, Joseph's brother went with him and took over Joseph's role as Gill's lead assistant. Joseph remained at the Guild and took over Gill's workshop, establishing his own practice as a sculptor, carver and letter cutter. He continued to do occasional work for Gill, helping him with some of his major sculpture, for example on the monumental sculpture ''Mankind'' that is now in the
Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
, and cutting letters to Gill's designs. From his return from France in 1919 until his death in 1967, Cribb continued to work in the Guild on Ditchling Common, cutting inscriptions, carving sculptures and decorative stone work. His rate of production was prodigious—he was able to cut inscriptions at three or four times the speed of most letter cutters. Examples of his letter cutting can be found in many Sussex cemeteries and in churches and public buildings throughout south-east England. During his career, for example, he made more than twenty sets of
Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The stations grew out of imitati ...
(each set containing fourteen panels), including that at
St Matthew's, Westminster St Matthew's Church, Westminster, is an Anglican church in Westminster, London. Located in the heart of the capital, close to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Church House, St Matthew's has been closely associated with the recovery ...
. A St Matthew carved by Cribb can be seen on the west front entrance to St Matthew's church in
West Norwood West Norwood is a largely residential area of south London within the London Borough of Lambeth, located 5.4 miles (8.7 km) south south-east of Charing Cross. The centre of West Norwood sits in a bowl surrounded by hillsides on its east ...
.London County Council, ''The Survey of London: Volume 26, Lambeth: Southern Area'' (London: London County Council, 1956) pp.173-80 His work is often mistaken for that of his master, as his letter cutting is difficult to distinguish, but his sculptures are easier to recognise, as he developed his own style, based on the Romanesque sculptures he saw in France and in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. At the time of his death he was running a successful business, employing two assistants, Noel Tabbenor and Kenneth Eager. He inspired and trained other renowned sculptors and letter cutters including John Skelton, Michael Harvey and the Irish sculptor Michael Biggs. Examples of his letter cutting and carving can be seen in Ditchling Museum and next door in St Margaret's Church and its churchyard, where his own grave is to be found, marked with a stone made in his workshop by his assistant Kenneth Eager.


Bibliography

*Attwater, Donald. ''A Cell of Good Living.'' London: G. Chapman, 1969. *Collins, Judith. ''Eric Gill: The Sculpture.'' Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 1998. *Cribb, Ruth and Cribb, Joe. ''Eric Gill and Ditchling: The Workshop Tradition'', Ditchling: Ditchling Museum. 2007.


External links


Biography of Cribb on Guild website
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cribb, Joseph English male sculptors 1967 deaths 1892 births People from Hammersmith Sculptors from London 20th-century British sculptors British letter cutters People from Ditchling