A devoted image of Saint Gertrude meditating on St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Not to be confused with Gertrude the Great, this is Gertrude of Nivelles, seventh-century abbess and founder of the Abbey of Nivelles, who is remembered for her particular kindness of foreigners, especially Irish pilgrims. Gertrude is usually depicted, as here, with a shepherd's crook, occasionally adorned with a mouse or rat in recognition of her assumed protection against the infestation of the Black Plague. Her nomination as rodent-scourge has led in the late 20th-century to an association with cats. Cribb's penchant for religious iconography stemmed from his early connection to and education by Eric Gill, with whom he converted to Catholicism. Few flecks of foxing, else fine. Matted, glazed and handsomely framed.