An elderly Spanish lady,in her 80s decided to give a 19th-century Spanish fresco a facelift by attempting to restore it – but failed.
Cecilia Gimenez stepped forward this week to claim responsibility for disfiguring a century-old fresco in Santuario de la Misericordia, a Roman Catholic church in Borja, near the city of Zaragoza.
Without prior authorization, the Cecilia Gimenez took a paintbrush to the “Ecce Homo” (“Behold the Man”) masterpiece by Elias Garcia Martinez which had been residing in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church of Borja near Zaragoza for more than a century in an attempt to restore it to its former glory.
Ecce homo, or behold the man, refers to an artistic motif that depicts Jesus, usually bound and with a crown of thorns, right before his crucifixion.
The precious painting had suffered years of deterioration due to moisture.
Unfortunately, the lady’s well-intended restoration attempt failed badly, and the once dignified portrait now resembles a child’s sketch.
New York Times reported that the authorities in Borja said they had suspected vandalism at first, but then determined that the shocking alterations had been made by an elderly parishioner. The authorities said she had acted on her own.
The city’s councillor for cultural affairs, Juan Maria Ojeda, said: “I think she had good intentions. Next week she will meet with a repairer and explain what kind of materials she used.”
“If we can’t fix it, we will probably cover the wall with a photo of the painting,” Ojeda concluded.
