BackMurillo Painting
Painting hanging in St Hubert's Church
In May 2006, while researching the copy of a painting by Murillo in our church, Vicky Hepburn discovered that a church in Canterbury also had a copy of a Murillo painting. She was able to ascertain that the painting in Upper Hardres Church was not a copy of the same painting unfortunately. As in our case, they don’t have anybody left in the parish who has knowledge of the painting, but in the short history of their church it states:
“The modern stained glass window of the Annunciation in the Lady Chapel by Francis Stephens, is to the memory of Authur Neame and his wife Margaret of Hardres Court, and was given by their son Richard in 1972, shortly before the fire. He also presented to the church the fine copy of Murillo’s Madonna and Child which had belonged to his mother and is now sited near the door. The original is in the Pitti Palace in Florence.”
Original painting hanging in Rome
It seems their copy is of his ‘Madonna and Child’ and ours is of his ‘Madonna with Child’. The original of ours is hanging in the National Gallery of Ancient Art in the Corsini Palace in Rome (http://www.galleriaborghese.it/corsini/en/emurillo.htm ). We contacted the National Gallery in London in the hope that they might have the answer to who the artist was and how old it might be, but it seems there isn’t a record of copies of paintings. We would love to know how the painting came to be hung in St Hubert’s Church. If anybody has any information or can help please contact us.
Early in 2007 we noticed mould developing on the front surface of the painting. Taking advice from experts in conservation we removed the painting and very carefully dusted the mould off the painted surface, sucking it away with a vacuum cleaner. The painting is in relatively good condition but the gilded frame is showing signs of age with small pieces of the moulding missing.
The painting was rehung with spacers behind to lift the painting away from the wall.