SCAFFOLDING on the southern wall of St Stephen’s Cathedral in Brisbane signals the imminent return to full glory of the Mayne family stained glass windows, considered amongst Australia’s finest.
Brisbane stained-glass expert Gerry Cummins and his team started restoration work just over a week ago on the three lancets of The Ascension window, which was created by famed Irish artisan Harry Clarke of Dublin.
The window, located behind St Stephen’s altar, was commissioned by Archbishop Sir James Duhig while he was in Ireland in 1922. It was blessed by the apostolic delegate in his presence the following year on June 10, 1923.
It is inscribed to the memory of Isaac and William Mayne and was given by their brother and sister.
The restoration is the first of two planned for the cathedral’s most significant windows. Also soon to be restored is the patronal window, prominently located in the north wall above the Elizabeth Street entry to the cathedral.
Mr Cummins said that to stand in front of the only window designed and worked on by Harry Clarke was “to stand in front of genius”.
The restoration work is extremely exacting.
“Each of the twelve panels in the central lancet as well as the ten on either side will have to be bandaged to be sent to ‘hospital’,” he said.
In this case the “hospital” will be Mr Cummins’ workshop. There with three other stained-glass artists – Jill Stehn, Maggie Gall and Cindy MacDonald – he will start a restoration process taking more than three months.
Total cost of this restoration work will be about $250,000.
Mr Cummins said the window would be insured for $400,000 during its time in his studio.
Brisbane archdiocesan director of planning and building Des Zagami said condition reports on the state of the windows were prepared and tenders assessed in conjunction with Bronwyn Hughes an eminent stained-glass consultant in Melbourne.
“The condition reports highlighted the need for urgent conservation of the windows before further deterioration occurred,” he said.
Mr Zagami said work was soon to start on the north wall stained-glass window – St Stephen, Sts Peter and Paul and the Four Evangelists (c 1881).
