A fading fresco and a DIY fiasco: Masterpiece of Jesus is destroyed after old lady's attempt to restore damage is a less-than-divine intervention - Woman in her 80s attempted to restore the damaged 19th century religious artwork by herself - Her botched effort has infuriated locals and art experts in Zaragoza, Spain -The fresco was set to be repaired by professionals thanks to a donation from the artist's granddaughter
All her life, the elderly worshipper had been inspired by her church’s fresco of Jesus with his crown of thorns.
So when the plaster portrait began to crumble owing to damp, the woman in her 80s decided not to stand idly by.
Without consulting the authorities at the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in Borjanos, southern Spain, she marched in with oil paint and brush, and started work on her own private restoration project.
'Restored': The image bears more resemblance to a character from Planet of the Apes than to Jesus after a woman in her 80's 'repaired' it without permission
Original: Elias Garcia Martinez's 'Ecce Homo', which has been admired by worshippers at the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in Zaragoza, Spain, for more than 120 years
Damaged: Moisture in the church caused the surface of the fresco, which has huge sentimental value, to deteriorate
Quite what she thinks of her handiwork has not been disclosed. But her fellow worshippers are horrified.
The 120-year-old fresco, Ecce Homo by Elijah Garcia Martinez, has been transformed into something which looks more like a movie werewolf.
To add to the general embarrassment, a local Catholic cultural foundation, the Centre for Borjanos, had received a donation from the granddaughter of the artist which it was about to spend on returning the fresco to its former glory.
As a team of experts examined the woman’s handiwork to see if it can be reversed, a spokesman for the centre said: ‘The value of the original work was not very high but it was more of a sentimental value.
‘The lady, who is in her 80s, apparently considers herself to be an artist. She acted without authorisation from anyone.
‘The church is always open because many people visit and although there is a guard, no one realised what she was doing until she had finished.’ ( dailymail.co.uk )
All her life, the elderly worshipper had been inspired by her church’s fresco of Jesus with his crown of thorns.
So when the plaster portrait began to crumble owing to damp, the woman in her 80s decided not to stand idly by.
Without consulting the authorities at the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in Borjanos, southern Spain, she marched in with oil paint and brush, and started work on her own private restoration project.
'Restored': The image bears more resemblance to a character from Planet of the Apes than to Jesus after a woman in her 80's 'repaired' it without permission
Original: Elias Garcia Martinez's 'Ecce Homo', which has been admired by worshippers at the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in Zaragoza, Spain, for more than 120 years
Damaged: Moisture in the church caused the surface of the fresco, which has huge sentimental value, to deteriorate
Quite what she thinks of her handiwork has not been disclosed. But her fellow worshippers are horrified.
The 120-year-old fresco, Ecce Homo by Elijah Garcia Martinez, has been transformed into something which looks more like a movie werewolf.
To add to the general embarrassment, a local Catholic cultural foundation, the Centre for Borjanos, had received a donation from the granddaughter of the artist which it was about to spend on returning the fresco to its former glory.
As a team of experts examined the woman’s handiwork to see if it can be reversed, a spokesman for the centre said: ‘The value of the original work was not very high but it was more of a sentimental value.
‘The lady, who is in her 80s, apparently considers herself to be an artist. She acted without authorisation from anyone.
‘The church is always open because many people visit and although there is a guard, no one realised what she was doing until she had finished.’ ( dailymail.co.uk )
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