Christ Child Bookplate

This wood engraving by Philip Hagreen measures 3 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches and is plate signed on the lower margin. Hagreen was a gifted wood engraver and illustrator. Founder of the Society of Wood Engravers in the early 20th. century he became a master of the small format creating over 170 bookplates. He studied lettering with Eric Gill and was known for his use of white lines and spaces. A religious man, he withdrew from the artistic life to follow in the Lord's footsteps and in so doing became one of the most under appreciated engravers of the time.