THE PICTURE OF THE ASCENSION

In 1839 John Harcourt, one of the founders of our Church, died. By his Will he left "£500 for a painting of the Ascension to be placed over the Communion Table of St James' ". His Executors decided to make this a prize competition, and advertised in the Times inviting artists to send in sketches, and promising the commission to the painter of the sketch selected.

TO ARTISTS.- The TRUSTEES of ST. JAMES'S CHURCH, BERMONDSEY, SURREY, desire to make public that a Legacy of £500 has been bequeathed by the late John Harcourt, Esq., for the purchase of an appropriate SCRIPTURE PAINTING to be placed in the recess over the Communion Table of that Church; and no appropriate painting having been found, the Trustees are prepared to receive finished sketches of a Painting from Artists who may be dis­posed to prepare them, upon the understanding that the Artist whose production is selected would be en­gaged to paint a Picture, and be paid the said Legacy of £500, provided (as required by the Testator) that two persons of competent judgment and knowledge shall pronounce it to be of that value.

The sketch is to be 36 inches in height by 17 inches in width. The Subject is to be the ASCENSION OF OUR SAVIOUR. The painting to have a frame to be provided by the Trustees and with such frame to be of the following size- viz. 11 feet in width by 23 feet in height.

The sketches to be sent without the name of the artist but with some motto or initials, for the inspection of the Trustees, at the Committee room of the Workhouse, in Russell Street, by Wednesday the 4th of December next.

The person selected to undertake to complete by Mid-summer day 1846; and if not completed by that date, the arrangement to be considered to be null and void. By order of the Trustees, Sept., 1844.

B. and G. DREW, Clerks.

 

Seventy-three sketches were submitted, and exhibited in the Leather Market, and Eastlake, President of the Royal Academy and Hayden, chief opponent of the Academy, were asked to judge. All were anonymous, but after the decision was made, it was found that fifteen of the competitors had been Royal Academicians, including Etty, the greatest artist of the day, Herbert, who painted the frescoes in the Houses of Parliament and Howard, Professor of Painting. One cannot help wishing that a picture by one of these celebrated men had been secured for our church, but the sketch chosen proved to be by John Wood, a quite unknown artist, and the newspaper critics who attended for the exhibition, agreed with the judges' choice. By March 1846 the picture - 23 feet high and 11 feet wide - was complete and in position. The Times praised it highly, saying it "should satisfy the eye of the critic and the feelings of the Christian", and added a hope that "the name of John Wood will soon be enrolled among members of the Royal Academy", a hope never fulfilled.

 

The Picture was beautifully restored in time for the Thanksgiving Service on 2nd May, 1971, by Mrs Wysocka, a Polish artist.