Book illustration was an important aspect of Eric Gill’s work and he was closely associated with Robert Gibbing’s Golden Cockerel Press. Ibi Dabo Tibi (I will give thee my love) was used to illustrate ‘The Song of Songs’ published by the Press in 1925. Gill often included erotic subject matter in his work. He worked not only as a wood engraver, but also as a sculptor and typographer. He studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London and established a community of artists at Ditchling, in Sussex, where he lived between 1907 and 1924. Gill’s wood engravings often reflect his training as a stonemason, with many compositions having relief-like features.