The Della Robbia Altarpiece

I had a wide-ranging chat with Abp Hepworth yesterday afternoon, and I think the best way to report it will be to break it down into different subjects. A big surprise was his concern over the Della Robbia altarpiece, shown at right in its current condition.

This was donated to the parish for $1 by a wealthy friend of the parish, apparently early in the Dodd rectorship. Perhaps because it was donated for a very nominal amount, it appears that for much of its history, the parish never fully appreciated its value, or indeed its significance. Typical of Della Robbia projects, three castings were made, of which two are still in existence (the third was destroyed in Italy during World War II).

The other extant copy was purchased by Lord Halifax, a major figure in UK Anglo-Catholicism in the early 20th century, and placed in the Walsingham Shrine. This makes it an object significant to Anglo-Catholicism.

An indication of how little the Della Robbia piece was understood by the parish is that for many years, it stood outside in the parish courtyard. Its significance as an altarpiece was only recognized in the 1960s, and it was brought inside and used in the renovation undertaken by Fr Jordan. Apparently Abp Hepworth was concerned enough for the security of the piece that he established that the structure beneath the altar had been reinforced with concrete at that time, and he says the fire department has assured him that few more secure places could be found for it.

Abp Hepworth says that this piece alone is worth considerably more than the entire real estate value of the parish property, itself several million dollars. He feels that the object of the Bush group in trying to seize the property must have been to demolish the building and sell the Della Robbia, with the real estate being little more than an afterthought. I hesitated to publish the information on the piece's value, except that at this point, it's about as secure as it can be, and it somehow never was stolen in all the years it stayed outside.

Perhaps this is because it was hidden in plain sight.

UPDATE: A visitor says that the third copy of Della Robbia's "Annunciation" is happily still in existence. He says, "It's at the Franciscan hermitage in La Verna, not too far from Florence (a very holy site where St. Francis received the stigmata), where it's been since about 1475. It was the first of five pieces Della Robbia created specifically for the complex. Here it is at the left, with the 'Nativity' at the right."

He adds,

Regarding the speculation on the Bush group's intentions for the building, I can shed some light on one area thing that would have been a hurdle for them--the property's local landmark status: Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #136 (designated in 1974). While local landmark status cannot prevent demolition outright in LA, it does offer a fair amount of protection--so much so that designated landmarks in LA are rarely demolished these days. Additionally, a state law known as the California Environmental Quality Act requires the city to carefully evaluate proposed projects that would result in adverse impacts, such as the loss of a historic resource. A proposal for demolition simply to clear the site would have raised eyebrows, prompted public outcry among local residents and preservation advocates, and likely engaged the Council District office--all unwanted attention for the group who would have had no compelling reasons to support such a plan.

I've often wondered about how practical the Bush group's plans were. My visitor has much more specific information about landmark status, but I always figured this would be some sort of a problem. But the Bush group, with Msgr Steenson, also had the wonderful idea of putting a newly-minted priest less than two years out of seminary in as pastor of St Mary's.

Thanks to my visitor for passing the image along.