To restore Bob Hope’s Nativity set, the LA Cathedral turned to this Catholic

In the early 1950s, entertainer Bob Hope purchased a large hand-carved Nativity set from an artisan company in northern Italy as a gift for his wife, Dolores, who was raised Catholic. For decades, it was displayed at the couple’s Toluca Lake home.

Following her death in 2011, the set was offered to their local parish, St. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood. Not likely having the storage capacity to hold 17 statues measuring up to 5 feet tall, they were instead given to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles in 2013, where they have been displayed annually during the Advent and Christmas season.

Age, wear, and tear on the statues convinced cathedral staff it was time for a restoration. They turned to Sheila Lehman, the artist and restorer at La Porte Vintage, a workshop she opened about a dozen years ago in Arcadia. While the shop specializes in restoring vintage furnishings and other items, Lehman has been asked to work on religious statues over the years.

Read full article on Angelus News

(Photo Credit: La Porte Vintage)