A painting sewn into the lining of a jacket to hide it from the Nazis during the Second World War was restored in an emotional episode of The Repair Shop.
In Tuesday’s BBC episode, retired florist Maria Kirk, 74, brought a damaged 19th-century painting of Madonna and Child, which she described as the last link to her Ukrainian family.
During the show, Maria explained that the painting was given to her grandfather by his father in the 1880s and hung in a village church in Skoviatyn, Western Ukraine.
She went on to explain how the family took it with them when they fled to Poland at the start of the war and continued to pass it from person to person when they were caught and sent to a labor camp.
She said, “My grandfather Joseph is dead. My grandmother Halyna, mother Irena and aunt Stefania fled to Poland. On one side came the Russians, on the other the Germans.’
Move: A painting sewn into the lining of a coat to hide it from the Nazis during WWII was restored in an emotional episode of The Repair Shop
“They decided to take the photo with them. They took it out of the frame, rolled it up and sewed it into the lining of a winter coat.
“Eventually they were all captured by the Germans and taken to a labor camp in northern Germany. They kept changing coats.” Ms Kirk said while her grandmother died in the camp, her mother and aunt survived. Her aunt gave her the painting in 1990.
As a result, she cried as Lucia Scalisi, the show’s restoration expert, cleaned up the dirt and discoloration.
Maria tearfully said the painting was “tangible proof that my family exists” and was for her a “beacon of peace, faith and beauty”.
The BBC show regularly welcomes special guests to the restoration shed, including actress Judi Dench and strict judge Craig Revel Horwood.
But one notable guest was King Charles, who Jay Blades said the British public had “never seen” perform at The Repair Shop.
Presenter Jay, 52, and the team visited Dumfries House in Scotland for a one-off episode to celebrate the BBC’s centenary, which was filmed when Charles was still Prince of Wales.
In The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit, which aired in October, Charles needed help with an 18th-century grandfather clock and a piece made by British ceramic maker Wemyss Ware for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
Story: On yesterday’s episode of the BBC show, retired florist Maria Kirk, 74, brought in a damaged 19th-century painting of Madonna and Child, which she described as the last link to her Ukrainian family
BBC hit: Maria explained during the program that the painting was given to her grandfather by his father in the 1880s and hung in a village church in Skoviatyn in western Ukraine.
He said the damaged 19th-century piece of pottery fell over when someone opened a window – “they didn’t allow it,” he joked.
Speaking to The Mirror, Jay described the king as “a real pleasure to meet him” and said it was a “wow moment” to have him on the show.
He said: “People often say never judge a book by its cover, so you don’t listen to what people say until you’ve met the right person.
“It was a real pleasure and honor to work with him, just wait until you see it, you’ll be surprised. You never see him like that.«
Jay has previously spoken about the importance of Charles appearing on the show and talking to someone “from a welfare state”.
He said: “You have someone from a welfare state and someone from a royal estate who have similar interests in terms of apprenticeships and traditional crafts and it’s amazing to see two people so far from different ends of the spectrum actually have the same interests. .’
Show: Presenter Jay, 52, and the team visited Dumfries House in Scotland for a one-off episode to mark the BBC’s centenary, filmed when Charles was still Prince of Wales
Charles then met students at the Prince’s Foundation Building Craft program – a training initiative that teaches traditional skills such as blacksmithing, stone carving and wood carving.
The monarch said: “I still think the great tragedy is the lack of vocational training in schools, in fact not everyone is cut out for the academic world.
“I know The Prince’s Trust, I have seen the difference we can make to people with the technical skills we always need, I have the greatest admiration for people.
“I think that was the biggest problem, sometimes it’s forgotten. Internships are important, but for some reason they just left the internship. It gives people intense satisfaction and reward.”
Charles said what he “really likes” are students who come back year after year as tutors — “to fill in the gaps in the school,” he said.
Before the results were announced, Charles asked the crew: ‘Have you solved it?’ The tension is killing me.’
The monarch also loaned Prince’s Foundation graduate Jeremy Cash to The Repair Shop to work with metalwork expert Dominic Chinea on a third item, described as fire in the shape of a soldier with a poignant story behind it exist.
Jay said: “It’s been a real pleasure and honor to work with him, just wait until you see it, you’ll be amazed. You never see him like that
Source: Daily Mail
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
