CARVINGS FOR EASTER

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31030, 9 April 1966, Page 16

CARVINGS FOR EASTER

Tools made partly from a fifteenth-cen-tury church oakbeam, and sharpened on an oil stone of Welsh slate more than 100 years old, have been used by a Christchurch woodcarver for a series of three Holy Week scenes. He has carved the scenes in kauri wood from the old Hurunui bridge, built in the 1880 s.

Mr G. A. Worthington made the series now on display at St. Anne’s Anglican Church, St. Martins, with tools formerly used by his father. Their handles are made from an oak

beam out of a church in Cheshire.

Each carving has as its background an imaginery silhouette of Jerusalem seen over its defence wall. This is based on details of a modern photograph. One scene depicts three crosses set. upon a hill; another a Pieta—the figures of Mary holding the dead body of Christ in her arms; the third is a Resurrection scene showing an angel telling the Mother of God and Mary Magdalene and Simon Peter that Christ had risen.

Each carving has been painted in the tradition of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians and each is supplied with Biblical quotations as captions designed to have both a traditional and modern meaning, said Mr Worthington. The carvings took 300 hours to complete, and were a tre-

mendous pleasure to do, said Mr Worthington. At times he spent 14 hours at his work bench, but the only patience needed was ’o put his tools down, he added. He found himself tired emotionally by the work, rather than in any other way. The carving was a kind of pray for Mr Worthington, said the vicar of Et. Anne’s (the Rev. M. D. Cocks). He pointed out the detail of the pieces including the raised finger of the 14in high angel. “This is remarkable, when you realise the figure is carved from one slab,” said Mr Cocks. The Palm Sunday scene has been on display all this week, the Pieta was shown for Good Friday, and the Easter scene will be on display on Easter Day. Mr Worthington carved a Nativity scene for St. Anne’s last Christmas.