Uncovering the unexpected is par for the course in Adam Godijn's work.
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But the former Goulburn man and now conservator was only slightly prepared for discovery of a deeper story as he undertook a local heritage restoration project.
Mr Godijn, now head of conservation (fine and decorative arts) with International Conservation Services, was charged with restoring Saints Peter and Paul's Cathedral's 14 Stations of the Cross.
The crafted timber-framed Stations, depicting Jesus' passion and death, were in dire need of a clean. The Cathedral was thought to have acquired them in the 1920s or 1930s, along with many other decorative elements.
Together with his team, Mr Godijn set about cleaning years of accrued dust and dirt from artworks and repairing damage. They were soon transformed into a bright, ivory colour.
"The finish is quite lovely...The change is quite remarkable," Mr Godijn said.
Earlier, an elderly parishioner had suggested the Stations were once painted. Mr Godijn thought the chances were remote, given their appearance, but kept an open mind.
Then, a splash of colour under flaking paint sparked the team's curiosity.
"Through a microscope we could see evidence of colour underneath," Mr Godijn said.
"So we stripped it back and sure enough, there was colour beneath. It's really exciting because it means a whole new story behind the Stations."
The partial paint removal showed a figure's blue stocking and then a brown leather boot. One section had gold leaf.
But reaching that point involved stripping back a top wash of colour and two oil-based paint layers below. Mr Godijn believes each colour is symbolic of the character depicted.
Yet he's also concerned the painting was commissioned to hide damage below.
The project is part of the Cathedral's $8 million restoration project, which is also effecting structural and internal repairs.
Parish restoration committee chair, Dr Ursula Stephens, said the discovery was exciting and offered a rare opportunity to return the Stations to their original state. But a decision could not be made until more information was available on the extent of any damage.
"It is a lovely story though about Adam bringing his expertise back to the community where he grew up," she said.
Mr Godijn is proposing to remove paint from one Station over the next month as a guide.
"It is a delicate process to strip back the top layers and preserve the original paint," he said.
"We'll see what it reveals. They are showing signs of age. We currently believe they're about 1850s but we hope to open the back of them and find an artist, location or date.
"It's a wonderful project and what's special is that there's something exciting to uncover about the story of the Stations. We are literally just scratching the surface."
This year, Mr Godijn also restored two Dutch oil paintings on wooden panels at Goulburn Regional Art Gallery (GRAG). Though originally thought to be 19th century, an expert in Dutch art dated them at 1625, with the artist unknown.
In addition, he donated his expertise to restore another GRAG painting, known as English Landscape, which dated from the 19th century.
The former Saint Patrick's College student said a visiting conservator at the gallery in his school days inspired him to pursue his field.
Now he's giving back as much as possible to his old hometown.
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