Our Lady Flight Into Egypt ~ Mary is honoured as the Chief Patron of our Diocese of Port Elizabeth. In accordance with the official liturgical Pastoral Guide it is therefore elevated to a solemnity (big feast) for the local church and celebrated on the Sunday that occurs on 4th February or between the 4th and 10th February each year.

bishop's appeal for restoration of 17th century painting


The 17th Century painting of Jesus before partial restoration
(See below, the painting after partial restoration)

Bishop Michael Coleman of the Port Elizabeth Diocese is launching an appeal to help restore and exhibit an old oil painting of Our Lord.

The painting was originally in Risley Hall, a Tudor manor house near Derby in England. In an old inventory, it was listed as “The Saviour”, attributed to Velasquez (1599-1660). In 1912, it was valued at £1200 and hung in the entrance hall. There were a large number of good paintings at Risley Hall, including those attributed to Ruebens, Stubbs and Sir Godfrey Kneller; “The Saviour” was assessed as the most valuable of all.

The property and contents of Risley Hall were sold in 1941 to Mr. G. Harrison who subsequently presented it to the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary in Port Elizabeth in gratitude for the Sisters’ care of his daughter when she was ill in Nottingham. When the Convent was closed in 1987, the painting was given to the King George VI Art Gallery (now the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum) to be examined and cleaned.

During this initial stage of restoration, the Art Museum removed a lot of over-painting which revealed a very beautiful and delicate rendering of a very different Christ figure. It was presumed that in the 19 th Century, paint imperfections were concealed by the drastic overpainting.

The Court auld Institute of Art in London have examined photographs of the semi-restored painting and advised that it certainly is not by Velasquez but rather a provincial work derived from the Dutch school of the 17 th Century. It might also be English. An examination of the wooden circular panel on which it is painted established that the original paint was oil on oak boards; this suggests that it is not a central European painting.

The original boards were circular but when it was “re-painted” in 1854 it was placed in a heavy square gilt frame in which it still is at the moment.

Despite the paint loss, the original painting is, in fact, in a sound condition and with careful in-painting of lost areas, it will be possible to bring it into an aesthetically as well as technically satisfactory picture.

This year, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum kindly presented the unrestored picture to the Diocese of Port Elizabeth. Bishop Michael is determined to have this fine painting fully restored and placed in the Chancery where it can be admired by many. As it will cost about R6000 to restore, to help defray costs the Bishop is appealing to anyone who might be able to give the Diocese some financial help, however small.

The Diocesan account number is Standard Bank 080006388,
branch code 050-017
Please indicate “Picture Restoration ”when making a donation.
A souvenir photo of the fully restored painting will be given to all those who make a donation of more than R50.

For further information about this particular work of art and, if an appointment is made, to see the actual picture, please contact Bishop Michael Coleman's office or John Reeks (archivist) at the Port Elizabeth Diocese . (Tel 041-373-2854)


The painting after partial restoration

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