Thursday, 4:30 PM
Christ statue vandalized at library, Lucifer left untouched
(Boston Public Library)
The bust of Christ, left, was broken into pieces. A nearby sculpture of Lucifer was unharmed.
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
A 160-year-old marble bust of Christ was attacked at the main branch of the Boston Public Library, knocked from its perch on the grand staircase and sent crashing to the floor. Nearby, a matching marble bust of Lucifer was left untouched.
Library surveillance video given to police showed a man and a woman attacking the bust at 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 12. The female suspect was seen on the video throwing an object at the sculpture and forcing it off a ledge, according to a police report.
"People reported hearing a crash," said Mary Bender, the library's communication manager.
The two suspects ran out of the library. Police canvassed Copley Square without luck.
The two busts were sculptured by Horatio Greenough circa 1845 and have adorned the landing between the first and second floor since the library opened in 1895. The works sat protected behind a railing.
The head of Lucifer has long, handsome locks of curly hair to portray the archangel shortly after he fell from grace, before evil and sin sullied his good looks, Bender said. The bust of Christ rested on two angels, which sat on top of a coiled snake.
This was not the first time Christ was attacked.
In the 1970s, a man lunged at the bust and tried to vandalize it, Bender said. Before the man could do any harm, he was tackled by an employee from the circulation desk coming back from lunch, she said. Lucifer was again left untouched.
After the latest attack, the library plans to fix the bust of Christ, which broke into a few pieces, Bender said. Lucifer has been removed from the grand staircase until the library can determine a secure way for it to be displayed. The library cast doubt on any role Lucifer -- statue or devil -- may have played in the vandalism of Christ.
"You never know," Bender said. "He also works in mysterious ways, I suppose. Who knows what goes through someone's head when they do something like this."
