Overview:
A mural by renowned artist Augustus Vincent Tack, "Deposition from the Cross," which was first displayed in St. James Church in 1925, has been moved out of the church for conservation and restoration. The mural, which was created specifically for the church and greeted parishioners for 84 years, will be restored by Gianfranco Pocobene Studio and later displayed at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. The restoration process is expected to cost $55,000, with the majority being fundraised by Friends of Deerfield.
SOUTH DEERFIELD — One hundred and one years after a canvas painting, “Deposition From the Cross,” by local landscape and portrait artist Augustus Vincent Tack was painted, the 8-by-16-foot mural was sent off for restoration on Thursday morning.
A team of volunteers gathered to kick off the long-awaited process of getting the mural restored and later displayed at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) by securing it and moving it out of the former St. James Church — a feat accomplished with reverence for the moment as the group exclaimed “the painting is out the door,” marking a new chapter for this art that greeted parishioners for 84 years.
Friends of Deerfield board member and Treasurer Chris Harris explained he wanted to have the painting, which Tack had made for the church in 1925, returned after it was removed in 2009. Harris managed to locate the painting in 2019. It had been sold at auction to a buyer in Texas for $500, and it was later given back to the Friends of Deerfield.
It returned to the church on Aug. 11, 2019, and has sat on the pews ever since then. On Thursday, it was sent to Lawrence for restoration by Gianfranco Pocobene Studio.
Historical significance
Harris explained that this painting signifies a history greater than itself, as it was a product of the time when Catholic migration to the region grew, and the St. James Church was established as part of this population entering the area.
“This becomes a very important connection to that whole history of the town, not just to the history of this painting and the history of this artist,” Harris said.
According to documents associated with Friends of Deerfield’s application to the Deerfield Community Preservation Committee for $5,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding to put toward the restoration costs, Tack was a world-renowned artist who spent time in New York City, Washington D.C. and Deerfield, where he was part of the Arts and Crafts movement of the 1860s to 1880s. His paintings are found across the United States in museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Portrait Gallery, among many others. As a Deerfield resident for many years, some of Tack’s paintings are held by both Historic Deerfield and the PVMA.
Tack was one of three acclaimed artists to come out of Deerfield during this time, joining George Fuller, Tack’s father-in-law, and James Wells Champney, according to a letter of support that was submitted to the Community Preservation Committee by Historic Deerfield President John Davis. He was both a portrait artist and an abstract artist, with Davis noting that murals are “much rarer” for Tack.
“This painting obviously has a religious theme, but it’s part of a portfolio of a major artist in American history,” Harris said. “This was his church in the summer.”
Painting the future
After years of sitting in a non-climate-controlled storage environment, and a 2024 vandalism where the canvas was slashed in several areas, repairs are needed before it can be displayed again. That’s where Gianfranco Pocobene and Corrine Long of Gianfranco Pocobene Studio come in.
The two will be working to restore the piece before returning it to public display. Both Pocobene and Long worked on Thursday to ensure the art’s structural integrity before moving it out of the church, rolling it into a secure wrapping and taking it to Lawrence, where they’ll begin the detailed work of bringing the painting back to its original grandeur.
“It’s hard to see it when it’s laid over the pews like that, especially with all the undulations,” Long said about her first impression of the piece on Thursday. “So to get a look at what’s going on in the painting and how it was originally supposed to be seen will be wonderful.”
Some of the main issues include tears that were caused by the vandalism, and structural issues with the canvas separating from the frame, creating “lumps and bumps,” Long explained. After the structural repairs are finished and the painting restoration is complete, the goal is to make sure that “Deposition From the Cross” is brought back to what it looked like when Tack first presented it.
This process does come with a cost, Harris explained. The total project is expected to cost $55,000, the majority of which will be raised by the Friends of Deerfield. The Deerfield Community Preservation Committee unanimously voted to recommend putting $5,000 toward the project, a decision that will ultimately be left up to Annual Town Meeting voters on Monday, May 11.
The committee is not the only backer of the restoration project. Historic Deerfield, PVMA and the Deerfield Historical Commission all support this project, sharing recognition of the painting’s local historical value.
In a letter from November 2025, PVMA Executive Director Tim Neumann wrote that the painting is important for Tack’s ties to Deerfield as a nationally recognized artist, and that PVMA already has more than 270 items in its collection that are associated with him.
“Tack’s altar painting will add to the texture and scope of representing religious experience that was widely held in this valley,” Neumann concluded after noting how PVMA has limited items representing the Catholic faith in the community.
In addition to being shown at the PVMA Deerfield Teachers’ Center, there will be digital displays to provide more information on Tack and his connection to Deerfield, as well as the process of restoration. Historic Deerfield Assistant Curator Isabella Galdone, who was at the former church to see the painting be moved on Thursday, said Historic Deerfield will also be part of this process in displaying the art and offering educational opportunities.
Harris said that, if the restoration process continues as planned, public display could be as soon as this fall.
“If more people can learn about this artist and learn about the history of the town, I think we’re better off for it,” Harris said. “Knowing something about your past helps you navigate the future.”
Donations to support the restoration project can be made online at the Friends of Deerfield website at friendsofdeerfield.org/make-a-donation or by check, made out to Friends of Deerfield and sent to P.O. Box 426, Deerfield, MA 01342.
