THAT GREEN STAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 47, 24 August 1931, Page 8

THAT GREEN STAIN

STEADILY SPREADING

NOW DOWN TO BASE (By "X.") Very »oon after the bronze figure, was placed on the'white . marble pylon of the Citizens'. War Memorial signs of verdigris stain appeared below the bronze and at once the ■ question was raised whether' something could not be done to stop it before the purity of the marble was mawed. .This suggestion was replied to by a statement that the designers were not. at all alarmed by the staining, but that they had anticipated juat that effect, ancLhad, moreover, taken the certainty into account as a factor in this full and complete harmonising of the whole; in other words, that: the creeping stain would add a softening and mellowing of the memorial.

: At the last meeting of the City Council, Councillor S. Holm brought the question up and asked whether something could not be done to prevent the spreading of the stain. The Mayor, Mr. T. C. A. Hislop, was blunt in his opinion. Although he might be branded as a Philistine, he said, that did not prevent him from saying that he thought the stain horrible. Another councillor suggested that if nothing else could- be done, the bronze might be given a coat of varnish, or paint, or some other preparation. Since then the staining has becmo considerably more noticeable, and on the northern side has now streaked down right to the base stone work. Unfortunately the public does not lean towards the anticipated mellowing'and softening, ' but would very definitely prefer plain snow-white marble. The green is< not a particularly mellow green; on. the contrary^ it is not far short of being glaring, and it isa green, moreover, which will be found 'to be particularly stubborn if it is decided to try to restore the marble to the whiteness which was insisted upon by the Wellington Committee. It was this insistence upon a pure white marble, in fact, which was one of the main reasons for choosing an Italian marble in preference to one of several otherwise suitable New Zealand stones.

To suggest that a bronze figure should be given a coat of varnish or paint— as was done to the Victoria statue in Kent terrace some years ago—is, of course,' entirely against good art, but a great many people would prefer.to suffer in silence the knowledge that art had been so badly treated to passing every day a magnificent marble pylon steadily turning a vivid green. _ If paint is entirely-out of the question, it has been suggested, the expense of placing a narrow and scarcely noticeable channelling round the base of the figure, to lead to an. interior down pipe" (the shaft.is hollow) would be largely effective in meeting the wishes of the very many people who agree with the Mayor, Philistine though he may be. • '