Tim de Christopher’s route to the stone yard and the following years has been filled with stone. You might say “stone for life” is a fitting title for this story. He became aware of Cathedral Stoneworks as a graduate student at nearby Columbia University. His early influencer was his father, a graphic artist and designer of educational toys. He studied sculpture and began carving in 1978 when attending The Cooper Union in New York City.
After being hired at the Cathedral stone yard, Tim was able to use his experience in sculpture, architecture, model making, mold making, drawing, drafting and graphic design. They hired Tim as an architectural draftsman and “journeyman” carver. At the time, Cathedral Stoneworks was taking in outside work with the goal to generate profit for continued work on the south tower of the Cathedral. Tim carved stone for the Coca-Cola Building and took molds of existing ornamentation on the Jewish Museum. His carved grotesques adorn the new wing.
Tim working on carving for the Jewish Museum building – Image courtesy Tim de Christopher
Entering the north transept of the Cathedral from the stone yard, he would pass the enlarged photograph of one of the Ardolino brothers carving a capital on the monumental columns. Other than two men, working at the Cathedral over 80 years apart, he thought the only relationship was one of stone. Turns out, they were cousins, something Tim would find out some years later.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine -Working On An Angel” 1909 – Image part of the George Grantham Bain Collection, Bain’s News Service, held at the Library of Congress.
The Ardolino – Christofaro Connection
In 1907, Eduardo Ardolino married Nicolina de Cristofaro. Nicolina was the sister of Leopoldo de Christofaro. Leopoldo is the grandfather of Tim de Christopher. All were from Torre le Nocelle, Italy. Like the Ardolinos, grandfather de Christofaro was a stone carver. He emigrated to Philadelphia and carved for the Bryn Athyn Cathedral. In Philadelphia he founded De Christopher Bros. Monuments with Tim’s great uncle Carmine. The business exists to this day. Similarly, Ralph Ardolino formed Long Branch Monuments in New Jersey. The coincidences and similarities are quite striking and there isTim de Christopher engaged in the same work at a cathedral and he also has done memorial work.
Unfortunately, in 1994, funding issues caused the stoneyard to close down. Tim left NY in 1992 and moved to Massachusetts setting up a small carving shed at the Ashfield Stone Quarry. A short time later a call came from Alan Bird, then Clerk of the Works for Cathedral Stoneworks. Bird let Tim know they were cleaning out the yard and if he wanted stone to come and get it. A 20 ton rig was hired and it made 6 trips. Jeep Kincannon helped Tim with logistics in the city. Tim was now owner of 120 tons of stone; stone for life. He and the stone have moved several times between then and his current home in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. There are fewer pallets of stone today.
For me, it was precious cargo, my artwork and my bread and butter.
Tim de Christopher’s stone in one of the early sites he had it stored.
The Professional Stone Sculptor
De Christopher is now a well known New England sculptor, with his work being featured in many solo exhibitions, commissions and public art installations.
Throughout his sculptures there is an incisive sense of humor, and charm, coupled with human empathy which makes his work deeply ‘humanist.’ His pieces reach out to the viewer; they want to be admired, delighted in, and chuckled over.
– Ray Wiggs Gallery, Provincetown, MA
Tim has about 30 tons of stone remaining and plans for all of it. His latest work “Industrial Ark” is part of that.
Tim will always hold the Cathedral and his time there near to his heart and his stone for life is one of the connections.
The Stone Carvers Guild is a group of independent working professional American stone carvers. Some work in one-person shops, others in small dedicated carving companies. Although they compete with one another for jobs, they share the same goals including promoting and preserving the timeless trade of architectural stone carving. Recently the Guild began a monthly podcast featuring interviews with members. The first three members interviewed all are veterans of the stone yard at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. All have continued their carving journeys around the country.
Episode 1 – Joseph Kincannon, September 2023
Joseph Kincannon carves his interpretation of the nuclear Holocaust around 1989, which includes the destruction of the World Trade Towers. This carving on the Portal of Paradise has become iconic since the Sept. 11 attacks with many Cathedral visitors stopping to see his carving. – Image Robert F. Rodriguez
Joseph went from the Gift Shop to an Apprentice in the stone yard to Lead Carver. He was one of the longest serving stone workers at the Cathedral during the existence of the Stone Yard Institute. In addition to work at Kincannon Studios, he is currently the Chair of Carving at the American College of Building Arts. Listen to the podcast by linking here
Joseph Kincannon Teaching at the American College of Building Arts.
Episode 2 – Nicholas Fairplay, October, 2023
The face of Elijah begins to emerge as Nicholas Fairplay chisels out folds in the robe of the prophet on June 2, 1986. Image Robert F. Rodriguez
At 16 Nick apprenticed with a stone company working on Chichester Cathedral. He went on to work at Westminster Abbey and then received a degree from City and Guilds of London Art School in life drawing and clay modeling. He came to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine as Head Carver and was tasked to teach carving to the most promising cutters in the apprentice program. Listen to the podcast by linking here.
In Cleveland, the Hellenic Preservation Society has commissioned Master Stone Carver Nicholas Fairplay to sculpt a large relief to be installed on the Parthenon Wall of the Greek Cultural Garden featuring dozens of Greek cultural figures. Above, Nick explains his drawing of the relief in Sept. 2022. – Image ClevelandPeople.com
Episode 3. – Amy Brier, November, 2023
Amy Brier intently carves her figure of an Old Testament rabbi on Feb. 29, 1988. – Image Robert F. Rodriguez
After she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University, Amy went to Pietrasanta in Italy to carve and study at a commercial marble studio. Coming to the Cathedral stoneyard as well as during its exchange program work on the Cathedral in Lyon, France, she learned much and appreciated the place the traditional carver had in the work. After the Cathedral work Amy acquired a MFA in sculpture from Indiana University. Along the way she co-founded and became the Executive Director of the Indiana Limestone Symposium. She continues to teach as Chair of the Fine Arts program at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington, IN. Listen to the podcast by linking here.
Amy Brier working on relief for Indiana State Fair Building. – Image courtesy Amy Brier
Image inscription – Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Granite carving by Edward Ardolino Inc, Jacob & Youngs, Builders, Cram & Ferguson, Architects.
Many of the cathedral’s stone carvings were produced by the Ardolinos who immigrated from Torre La Nocelle, Campania, Italy late in the 19th Century . The Ardolino brothers, Eduardo and Clamanzio Celestino joined at times by their cousins Raffaele and Dominico, also brothers, worked for years at the cathedral, often carrying out the designs of sculptor John Angel.
Ermalindo Eduardo Ardolino
Known as Edward Ardolino, he was an Italian born American stone carver and architectural sculptor of the early twentieth century. He is the most well known member of the Ardolino family of stone carvers. He worked with leading architects and sculptors, including architect Bertram Goodhue and sculptors Lee Lawrie and John Angel. The Ardolinos participated in carvings at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine as the building progressed as evidenced in photos and clerk-of-works reports from 1909 into the 1930’s. The Ardolino’s work is in the nave, baptistery, multiple west front carvings and includes carvers Ralph (Raffaelle) and his son Arthur. They worked under architects Heins & LaFarge and Ralph Adams Cram.
Ermalindo Eduardo Ardolino (1883-1945)
Edward Ardolino was born into a long line of stone carvers in Torre Le Nocelle, Province of Avellino, Italy. On his 1898 immigration, when he was 14, he identified himself as a sculptor. He was joining his older brother Charles (Clamanzio Celestino) Ardolino who was a stone carver in Boston. Together they formed Ardolino Brothers. They contracted others, including cousin Ralph (Angelo Raffaelle) Ardolino to assist in fulfilling their commissions. Later, Charles retained Ardolino Brothers and Eduardo created Edward Ardolino, Inc. In 1907, Edward Ardolino married Nicolina de Cristofaro. The Cristofaro’s were another stone carving family originating from Torre Le Nocelle.
Collectively, the Ardolinos worked on sculptural carvings on hundreds of buildings in the U.S. and Canada. They employed as many as 32 carvers at one time. Outstanding among them are the Los Angeles Public Library, the Nebraska State Capitol and four buildings in the Federal Triangle of Washington, D.C. Most of the Goodhue/Lawrie collaborations fulfilled in conjunction with Ardolino were invited into historic registers or achieved landmark status.
A Famous Photograph
A much circulated photo “working on an angel” is of an Ardolino carver taken in 1909. This photo is of the carving of a capital atop the monumental columns in the chancel area of the cathedral. The capital is the design of the architect George B. Post.
“Cathedral of St. John the Divine -Working On An Angel” 1909 – Image part of the George Grantham Bain Collection, Bain’s News Service, held at the Library of Congress.
It seems that of all the Ardolinos involved in the work at the cathedral, based on their ages and photos that this is Charles (Clamanzio Celestino) Ardolino above.
Clamanzio Celestino Ardolino 1922 Passport Photo. Image from The Genealogy of Torre Le Nocelle, Italy
Those capitals, modeled by Mr. Post, were carved in-situ from clay models, working 60 feet above the altar floor.
Clay model positioned between two chancel column capitals
Raffaelle Ardolino
Ralph (Raffaelle) Ardolino emigrated to the United States in 1888. He had apprenticed under his stone carver father in Torre Le Nocelle, Campania, Italy. He later studied at a fine arts academy in Florence. By the time he was 18 years old he had mastered the art of sculpting and was adept at every phase of working in stone. He also learned the blacksmith’s trade, as many carvers did, to be able to forge, repair and sharpen their own tools.
Ralph (Raffaelle) Ardolino
Ralph came to live in the Boston area where his cousins owned the carving firm, Ardolino Brothers. When the cousins moved to New York, Ralph did not follow them; instead, he eventually moved to Tampa. In Tampa he operated a monument business and executed several sculpting commissions. By 1918 he had moved his family to Brooklyn.
Although Ralph worked extensively for Edward Ardolino Inc. he also had commissions of his own as a freelance sculptor. As well, he worked on the Lincoln Memorial, employed by the Piccirilli Brothers, and in addition to carving did much of the lettering at the monument. Ralph and his son Arthur worked on many projects at the Cathedral. He traveled to worksites throughout the country but always returned to the brownstone he owned at 240 Bergen Street in Brooklyn, New York.
Lettering by expert stone cutter and sculptor Ralph Ardolino.
Trips to the Jersey Shore
The New York community of Italian carvers and sculptors would regularly take weekend trips on the excursion boat, Mary Patton, to the Jersey Shore.
The boat would leave Friday night and come back Sunday night. Anyway, one weekend when he was down here he decided that maybe the place to be was Long Branch. He would stay here reading magazines containing carving and sculpting bids, and send off estimates to companies around the country. Then the business began to drop off, and by 1928 there were only 86 carvers in the New York union. There was less stone being used in building and less carving.
Ralph Ardolino, Jr.
So Ralph Sr. went looking and found an old monument shop in West Long Branch, put all his savings into it and brought all the Ardolinos to New Jersey. By the time the business was established in 1929, all of his sons had completed their apprenticeship in the trade. Dan handled drafting and sales, Ralph Jr. took care of the business end and Arthur and Carl took care of the stone carving work in the shop.
In 1980, the Ardolino sons were all in their seventies and they closed their doors. One further generation of Ardolinos remained in Long Branch. Richard Ardolino cuts letters for cemetery monuments as of an account in 2009.
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A Socioeconomic Study Exploring the Immigration of Artisan Stone Carvers from Italy to the United States of America circa 1830-1920, Russ Joseph Morris, The College of Staten Island.
The Amazing Monument Men of Monmouth County, Monmouthtimeline.org
ABOUT NEW JERSEY Tombstone Artisans: A Family Affair, New York Times, January 8, 1978
Correspondence between Gail Iamello Deninger and Wayne Kempton, Cathedral archivist
The Tomb’s unveiling, November 21 1954, Bishop Horace Donegan on right – Image The Living Church
The tomb of William Thomas Manning (1866-1949) seldom fails to catch the eye of visitors to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It is the work of sculptor Constantin Antonovici, completed in 1954. Manning was the 10th Bishop of New York, 1921-1946.
The Tomb
The only black-and-white object of any size in the cathedral, the tomb contrasts sharply with the radiant color in the windows above it and the monochrome limestone around it. The tomb’s simplicity is even more striking when compared to the extravagant sarcophagus of cathedral founder Horatio Potter behind the high altar, or that of his successor, Henry Codman Potter, in St. James’s Chapel.
The recumbent figure of the bishop, of milky Carrara marble, rests atop a rectangular prism of black marble, lightly streaked. His head rests on one cushion while another braces his feet. He wears the classic episcopal vestments of miter, stole, alb and cope while his folded hands display the ring of his office. The crozier by his side, tucked in by his arm, symbolizes the authority he wielded forcefully, often imperiously, and sometimes controversially during the 25 years he oversaw the diocese.
As much a general as he was a shepherd, Manning was Napoleonic in both temperament and stature (five feet, four-and-a-half inches). The figure is effectively life-size, with a total length of seventy inches including ten inches for the miter. Because the sculptor had never seen the bishop in life, he required a model. A young, slightly built Japanese-American priest was assigned to report to the artist’s studio in the crypt and lie on a table while Antonovici roughed out the figure. (This I learned this from the priest’s widow when, decades later, she popped into the cathedral asking to see the sculpture for which her late husband had posed.)
The figure’s face, which the sculptor would have modeled from photographs, comports with an eyewitness description of the bishop written in 1936 and quoted in the New York Times obituary: “His square-jawed, thin face, his dome-like forehead, his piercing eyes, his peaked nose and his small thin-lipped mouth accentuate an austere spiritual nature which no amount of cordiality can conceal.”
The Site
Significantly, the tomb of William Thomas Manning sits in the nave. When Manning became the bishop in 1921, there was no nave. Construction of the cathedral had been stalled for ten years. Twenty years later, on November 30, 1941, he presided at the nave’s consecration. He had overseen its design and construction and raised the millions of dollars to pay for it.
Within the nave, the tomb sits in the Historical & Patriotic Societies Bay (now often referred to as the American History Bay). An immigrant from England’s Northampshire, Manning became a passionate partisan of his adopted country. He cultivated relationships with societies honoring the heritage of the United States such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Sons of the same, the St. Nicholas Society, the Huguenot Society and many others. At the ceremony for the tomb’s unveiling, representatives of patriotic societies walked in the procession behind an honor guard of the Veterans Corps of Artillery of the State of New York.
Equally significant is the tomb’s placement directly across from the Armed Forces Bay. Manning was an ardent supporter of the military. In 1916, while serving as rector of Trinity Church, he called for the United States to end its neutrality and enter the conflict then raging in Europe. He preached: “Our Lord Jesus Christ does not stand for peace at any price. He stands for righteousness at any cost… Every true American would rather see this land face war than see her flag lowered in disgrace.” After the United States entered the war, he served as a chaplain at Camp Upton on Long Island. Here draftees trained prior to transport to France.
Manning as U.S. Army Chaplain, 1918 – Image Wikipedia Commons
War in Europe broke out in 1939. Manning bucked a nationwide tide of isolationism to advocate for U.S. support for Britain and her allies. In 1942, two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was co-speaker on a panel with British Ambassador Lord Halifax. His biographer recounts: “The statesman gave the sermon; the bishop gave the call to arms.”
Manning’s brand of sanctified nationalism would not be appreciated in the Episcopal Church of the 21st century. It should be considered in the context of the fascism and militarism rampant in Europe during Manning’s own time. Even as the nave of St. John the Divine was nearing completion, bombs were striking the churches and cathedrals of Manning’s native England. Though his legacy may be problematic, it is fitting that his final resting place should be inside his most enduring achievement – the cathedral’s majestic, soaring nave.
The Sculptor
Constantin Antonovici was born in Romania in 1911. His early training was at his homeland’s Academy of Fine Arts in Iasi. This was followed by study with Ivan Mestrovici in Zagreb and Fritz Behn in Vienna. He came into his own as a sculptor during the four years he spent in Paris working in the atelier of Constantin Brancusi (1947-1951). Antonovici adopted the style of the great Romanian modernist, reducing objects to their essence in sleek, sinuous forms rendered in marble, bronze, and wood. From Paris he emigrated to Montreal in 1951 and finally to New York in 1953.
Shortly after arriving in New York, he learned that the cathedral had announced a competition for designing the tomb of William Thomas Manning, the late Bishop. According to his own account, the jury selected his design by a unanimous vote. The cathedral authorities offered him a fee of $50,000. A small advance paid for the start with the balance to be paid in installments as the work progressed. His account continues:
“I worked on this statue for one entire year. The work on the sculpture took place in an unused spot in the cathedral that was removed from public view. I asked for the balance of payment after the sculpture was completed. They kept postponing honoring the payment. Years passed by and the same lame excuses kept coming in. I came to the realization that I had been robbed by English thieves.”
There is surely another side to the story, but the details are unavailable. Nevertheless, the cathedral allowed Antonovici to continue to work rent-free in the crypt for many years. Perhaps they considered the unique space to be adequate compensation for his work on the tomb.
Twenty years after the disagreement over his fee for the Manning tomb, in his preface to the 1975 book Constantin Antonovici: Sculptor of Owls, Antonovici expressed sentiments markedly different from his earlier harsh remarks:
Gratefully I thank the staff of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for providing me with the studio in which I have created more than 80 percent of my works, and I express my respect for the Cathedral management, who have demonstrated the interest of that institution in the promotion and appreciation of art. The setting for my work inspires me in much the same way that Michelangelo, Chagall, and other great artists who worked in the immense quietness and divine atmosphere of great temples and cathedrals were inspired.
– Constantin Antonovici
In the crypt Antonovici created the works for which he is best known – his extraordinary owls of bronze, marble, and wood. Owls fascinated him as a child. Whether it was the gloom of the crypt that reawakened his interest in these nocturnal creatures, or Brancusi’s abstractions of birds in flight, owls inspired some of his best work.
Antonici in his studio in the crypt surrounded by owls and other works. image – Constantin Antonici, Sculptor of Owls
Antonovici died in 2002. Poor health, financial difficulties and deteriorating mental faculties plagued his final years. The artist who sculpted a refined tomb for a bishop now lies in Flushing Cemetery in the borough of Queens. His carved gravestone reflects one of his signature owls.
The author of this post,The Tomb of William Thomas Manning, Tom Fedorek is the Senior Guide at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. His knowledge of the Cathedral and its history are awe inspiring. This Labor Day Weekend he is celebrating his 39th anniversary as a guide when he leads a vertical tour of the Cathedral
Sources:
Constantin Antonovici: Sculptor of Owls (Cleveland: Educational Research Council of America, 1975)
Doina Uricariu & Vladimir Bulat, Antonovici 1911-2002 Sculptor on Two Continents (Bucharest:Universalia Publishers, 2011).
This month, my colleague at Divine Stone, Mark Saxe received the 2023 New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He is among a handful of artists to be so honored. His award recognizes his artistry as a stone sculptor and his many years of teaching and mentoring stone carvers emphasizing hand carving.
For more than four decades a prominent and diverse group pf painters, weavers, sculptors, dancers, musicians, storytellers, poets, actors, playwrights, potters and supporters of the arts have been honored.
This year’s recipients come from every corner of the state, showcasing the immense possibilities of the arts across New Mexico. These artists are musicians, authors, sculptors and designers who push the boundaries of telling stories about the state and their lives through art. I am proud to recognize and show off such talent to the rest of the world.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham
Mark was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, served his country in Vietnam, and while traveling in Europe, discovered his love of stone. Completing his MFA on the GI Bill, he became an apprentice stonemason before moving to New Mexico to open his stoneyard and begin his long career as a sculptor. He has lived in New Mexico for 43 years.
Mark is an author, lecturer, curator and member of the Stone Carvers Guild of North America. Mark’s connection to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine goes back some 35 years.
In His Own Words
“My connection to the stoneyard began in the late 1980’s when John Barton, AIA, the son-in-law of the Dean of the Cathedral, James Parks Morton, invited me to see the stone working program. I was offered a place to stay in the Bishop’s guest quarters and visited the stone shed attached to the cathedral several times.
“John introduced me to the cutters and carvers. I remember no names, only the intensity and dedication that showed in the faces. It was likely that I met Jose Tapia, Tim Smith and Eddie P. They were working…cutting and carving some of the thousands of stones necessary to complete the Cathedral’s towers. I wished I was one of them, but it was not to be, living in New Mexico with a stone masonry business that needed me and I needed it. However, my connection to the stoneyard has continued since that tour.
I would have traded places with any one of them.
– Mark Saxe
“The light filtering down from the skylights, the fine dust of limestone in the air and the tap, tap, tap of hammer on chisel was mesmerizing. The vibe was intoxicating, especially to me who had already spent the last 13 years working with stone. I would have traded places with any of those carvers but I had a home and business to take care of. Upon leaving the Cathedral I had a feeling that we would meet again in the future. That experience had a profound affect on me and because of it I met many people who worked on the cathedral, most notably Joseph Kincannon, Nick FairPlay, and John Barton. All of them have added to my life and work.” – Mark Saxe
Stone Carving Workshops
I met Mark some 16 years ago when I was working in a stoneyard in Santa Fe, NM. Eventually I was able to enroll in his Stone Carving Workshops. Seven days of intensive hands on carving with appropriate demonstrations by Mark and his staff.
Image – Left to Right, Mark Saxe, Betsy Williams (Workshop Co-Director, Professional Ceramicist, Mark’s Wife). Kazutaka Uchida (Guest Artist), Yours Truly (Stone Carving Enthusiast working on my 10,000 hours)
Thank you “Chief” for all you have done to impact New Mexico and the stone world.
