St.Finbarre's Cathedral Cork, sculpture damage

[ake]

These pictures were taken earlier during the summer. The Portal sculptures;
[ATTACH]6007[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]6008[/ATTACH]
Does anyone know what the cause of this damage is? Has any restoration been done on the figures since the summer? If not, are there any plans to save and restore these exquisite works of art?

[Praxiteles]

Looking at Ann Wilson's book on Saint Fin Barre's [Four Courts Press 2006] it transpires taht the sculptures on the West Portal were all done to drawings prepared by WIlliam Burgess in 1871. Plaster models were prepared by Thomas Nicholls in 1881-1882. They were executed by Thomas Nicholls 1881-1882, with the brackets done by Robert McLeod 1878-1879. They were done in limestone.

Has someone taken a hammer to them? It is unbelievable that they should be in this state.

[who_me]

If they're limestone, it's probably just a reaction with water.

[Praxiteles]

The west portal of St. Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork depicts the parable taken from St. Matthew's Gospel (25:1-13) of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins. THe wise one brought oil for the lamps the foolish ones did not and when their lamps went out the Bridegroom came went into the Banqueth hall and locked out the foolishe ones. The parable has always been regarded as having an apocalypic significance: always be ready for the Lord's second coming for you know not the hour nor the watch when he comes. And of course, the idea of the church being the banqueth hall of the wedding feast of the Lamb makes the subject particularly suitable for a church entrance -especially as the nuptials of the Lamb are always depicted in liturgical terms e.g. Jan Van Eyck's famous Ghent Altar piece.

The theme was hugly popular throughout the Romanesque and Gothic periods with fine examples to be seen in Amiens, Auxerre, Basel,.Laon, Notre Dame de Paris, Rgeims, Sens Strasburg, Freiburg Minster, Luebeck, Erfurt, the magnificent example at Magdaburg

[ake]

As you can see these groups are practically in perfect condition, at least the actual stone hasn't yet deteriorated, if it's going to;or were a couple of months ago, I assume still are.
[ATTACH]6084[/ATTACH][ATTACH]6085[/ATTACH]

[ake]

does nobody care about this ongoing tragedy?

[Praxiteles]

Has anybody thought of writing to the conservation office of Cork City Council on this subject? I take it they might be a bit more interested in this subject than their counterparts in Cobh.