Mural Restoration Timeline: Revealing Our Hidden Angels
Did you know that Old North Church’s sanctuary didn’t always have a white interior? For much of its history, the church boasted a rich color scheme with ornate and intricate designs. A highlight of Old North’s early decor was artwork from John Gibbs, a congregant and an accomplished painter. Between 1727 and the 1730s, Gibbs painted a series of beautiful angels in the balcony arches of the sanctuary. Gibb’s stunning artwork was covered over with white paint during a 1912 renovation and has been hidden for more than a century…until now.
Beginning in the fall of 2024 and wrapping in the summer of 2025, Old North Illuminated completed an ambitious restoration project to uncover the angels that Gibbs painted in the 18th century. An initial paint study in 2017 partially restored one of Gibbs’s angels, and in 2024, expert craftspeople began painstakingly removing layers of white overpaint to reveal the rest of the angel, 19 additional angels, and the festoons between them.
The angel restoration project was supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund, a program of Mass. Development and the Massachusetts Cultural Council; The Freedom Trail ® Foundation Preservation Fund; and two anonymous funders.
As the project unfolded, the Old North Illuminated team documented the process of uncovering and restoring the angels with videos, photos, and observations. Check out the timeline below to learn all about the project!
September 30, 2024
In this kickoff video, Nikki Stewart, Executive Director of Old North Illuminated, discusses the history of the angels and the artwork in the sanctuary of Old North Church. Gianfranco Pocobene, the lead conservator for the project, lays out the plan for revealing and restoring the long-hidden paintings in Old North’s balcony arches.
October 2, 2024
This photo was taken on October 2, 2024 by the lead conservator for the project, Gianfranco Pocobene. In an attached note, he wrote, “I am having success with the removal of overpaint from the cherub that was partially revealed in 2017. In this photo, you can see the 13″ high x 3″ wide exposure. I am using different solvent gel and free solvent combinations from what the original team used in 2017, and so far I’m very pleased that I’m able to completely remove the overpaint without damaging the original paint surface. The lowermost overpaint layer is pretty tenacious and requires the most time to get off. Note also the teal pigment layer under the wing!”
October 18, 2024
Gianfranco reports that the project is going well. The first cherub, which was partially exposed in 2017, is now 85 – 90% revealed. The festoon next to the cherub is in remarkably good condition. While the cherub was painted on plaster, the festoon was painted on a wood plank that was set into the molding. It is possible that the festoons were painted offsite and then applied to the balcony. Gianfranco has started revealing another angel, adjacent to the first one.
November 1, 2024
The original plan for the paint restoration project was to uncover four of the original cherubs hidden underneath layers of white overpaint and then paint replicas of the remaining cherubs on removable veneers, which would be affixed to the arches. At the time, the paint conservation team believed that it would be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to uncover all 20 angels. However, now that we are five weeks in, we are excited to share that lead conservator Gianfranco Pocobene has deemed that it is possible to reveal all 16 of the original angels, without changing the budget or the timeframe for the project. Gianfranco and his team were able to quickly identify the right solvents and techniques for removing the layers of white overpaint, which has allowed the project to progress faster than expected.
Now that three cherub faces have been exposed it is clear that each cherub was painted with different characteristics, and that the artist John Gibbs was very playful with his variations in facial expression and style for each cherub.
November 21, 2024
Six of the cherubs have been uncovered so far, and each one has its own unique face and expression. Restoration work has begun on some of the cherubs that have been uncovered. First, an isolating layer of varnish is applied over the original artwork. Then, the team uses synthetic, conservation-grade paints to do retouching in areas where there were losses or damage. Two more cherubs will be revealed before the scaffolding comes down for Christmas.
December 11, 2024
In this Speaker Series talk recorded on Zoom, Gianfranco discusses the restoration project, shares photos, and answers questions from the audience.
December 19, 2024
On December 19, the scaffolding came down in anticipation of Christmas services at Old North. As work pauses for the holiday, we can enjoy unobstructed views of the cherubs! Eight angels have now been exposed, varnished, and inpainted. In early January, the scaffolding will go back up and eight more angels will be revealed in 2025 before Easter.
February 17, 2025
Phase II of the mural restoration project is underway! The scaffolding was erected again in early February, and the conservators began the process of uncovering angels in the other half of the sanctuary. We continue to be delighted by the unique expressions on the cherubs’ faces.
March 31, 2025
Phase II continues full steam ahead! Angels 7 and 8 have been fully restored, Angels 9, 12, 13 and 14 have been fully exposed and partially restored, and Angels 10 and 11 are partially exposed. Angel 19, to the left of the organ, has been partially exposed as well. In spite of the heavy water damage to the ceiling directly above, Angel 19 appears to be in good condition, though it has been repaired with a joint compound. The condition of the plaster substrate is quite remarkable (and atypical) given its age. Gianfranco Pocobene, lead conservator on the project, found three hollow areas on Angels 10 and 11, which he injected with grout to stabilize, but there have been very few areas where that has been needed. We believe that whoever applied the plaster was a master craftsman.
June 9, 2025
After 9 months, the mural restoration project is entering the home stretch. Gianfranco Pocobene and his team of conservators have fully restored 18 of the 20 angel paintings. Only one small area of scaffolding remains up, located in the balcony beside the pipe organ. Angels 1 and 2, the remaining two angels, have been under restoration for the past three weeks and have been mostly uncovered. Angel 2 is in poor condition, with more extensive cracking, blistering, and loss than any of the other angels. This has required more reintegration of the finishes to the wall and a slower exposure process. Fortunately, the face of Angel 2 is still in good condition, and any reconstruction of the finishes will occur only on the wings and edges of the panel. We can’t wait to see the sanctuary with all 20 restored angels!
July 14, 2025
Over the weekend of July 12, Gianfranco completed the restoration of the last two angels on the north side of the organ loft. Reflecting on the end of the restoration, he wrote, “The project has been a great success and way beyond what any of us might have imagined.” For the first time in 113 years, all twenty angels are now visible in Old North’s sanctuary. To see the angels or yourself, be sure to plan a visit to Old North!