Few things survive the ravages of time – or bad attempts at improvement. But the Church of the Holy Innocents on West 37th Street in New York City is going to try to save.
The 44’ by 22’ mural depicting the Crucifixion by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi, which has graced the sanctuary wall of the Church since 1870, is about to get a facelift. Brumidi was America’s foremost mural painter of the nineteenth century, famous to this day for his hundreds of frescoes scattered throughout the United States Capitol Building.
For reasons hidden by the passage of time, this magnificent mural was painted over by Gustav Kinkelin in 1900. It has been noted that Kinkelin signed his name in the lower left hand corner, which some experts believe covers that of the original artist!
The conservation will be conducted by Christiana Cunningham-Adams of Cunningham-Adams Conservation in Washington, D. C., a specialist in the conservation of Brumidi’s works. She will be assisted by Peter Schoenmann and Laurie Timm.
Their initial efforts will be to stop the disintegration of the mural, improve its appearance, and stabilize it for continued preservation. They will begin by cleaning the painting, which will help them determine how much of the original still exists and, more importantly, tell them if it will be possible to restore the original.
Each stage of the conservation will be documented by the conservators photographically and in written description. They will give recommendations for continued care of the mural and its proper illumination.
Please be a partner in this noble endeavor.
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