The discovery in late August 2012 in rural North Taranaki of a lost carving of the crucified Jesus Christ, 12 years after it was stolen from the Futuna Chapel in Wellington, was very welcome news to the Friends of Futuna Charitable Trust, the guardians of the statue's original home.

The 160cm tall figure of Christ was hand-carved from mahogany by noted New Zealand sculptor Jim Allen in 1961, for the crucifix that completed the award-winning design of Futuna Chapel by architect John Scott.

When the figure was first found Allen expressed his delight at its rediscovery. "This is a red-letter day for all of us and brings to a close our endless speculation as to its whereabouts. I look forward to its re-installation and further confirmation of John Scott's vision for the Futuna Chapel".

Although the chapel is no longer a consecrated church, the Christ figure was part of Scott's original architectural vision for the chapel, and its recovery provides a sense of completeness in the on-going restoration of the building. The Trust has been encouraging the use of the chapel for community events, so that its unique design and spiritual qualities can be enjoyed and appreciated as widely as possible.

Shonagh Kenderdine, the patron of the Futuna Trust and Chair of the Historic PLaces Trust Board, says "The return of the Christ figure to Futuna has great spiritual, cultural and architectural significance for New Zealanders. The figure is the mauri (life-force) of the chapel. Te Hokinga Mai (the Returning) began today with the figure's road journey from Taranaki to Wellington under the protection of the New Zealand Police, who have been so instrumental in its return".

Mark Burry, NZ architect and now Professor of Design at RMIT Melbourne, will present the 2013 Futuna lecture in New Zealand starting in Auckland on 13 March, followed by Christchurch on 14 March and Futuna Chapel in Wellington on Sunday 17 March following the public open day.

Source

• Eventfinder
• Image: TenOne
  

Colin - McCahon that is - stands by the window. Van Dyck is resting under covers in the corner and Toss Woollaston is lying on the table awaiting further dental work.

But it's not the big-name guests commanding the most attention at the Italian art conservator's Wellington studio.

Propped on pillows on the central table is Jim Allen's striking mahogany Christ figure - stolen from Karori's Futuna Chapel over a decade ago and last year rescued from a Taranaki farm.

Izzo is having a minor conservation crisis. Having spent 20 years restoring religious art around Naples following the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, she is no stranger to crucifixes.

Her children were breastfed in pews, and when she moved to New Zealand in 2001 she so missed churches that she begged to work on Khandallah Catholic church's crucifix for free.

But when restoring a 13th century crucifix, consulting the artist is not a consideration. Here, she must juggle the wishes of the Futuna Trust, the original sculptor and her own conservation ethics.

Fortunately, Allen and she agree that Jesus should tell something of his dramatic story.

But it's a question of degree. It's the eternal conundrum for conservators, whose job is not to make old things new, but to conserve while retaining time's signature; to repair damage so it no longer distracts, without trying to forge the original.

Izzo points out thin stripes of blanching on Jesus's right calf. The fact they dribble across rather than down the smooth muscle suggests they were caused recently - probably by water infiltration -when the figure was lying down.

So she will need to swab the surface to lighten the surrounding wood, making the blanching less obvious.

"I have to find a mediation between the desire of the artist and what needed to be done . . . It's a puzzle."

With her red statement glasses, the glamorous Izzo, 52, could step out of her white lab coat and into a cocktail party.

But her workplace hasn't always been so sanitised. Born in Rome, she studied art, then heritage conservation.

When the Irpinia earthquake struck, she volunteered to help piece together the treasures of generations, from sculptures and ceramics to a 50 square metre canvas. Continue reading

Sources

• Dominion Post
• Image: Studio Carolina Izzo