The mosaics in the crypt of St Mary’s Cathedral are among Sydney’s finest artistic treasures, with their breathtaking, swirling Celtic designs and their stunning colours. The final resting place of some of Australia’s most famous clerics including Cardinals Moran and Pell and Archbishop Polding, is regarded as “one of the finest mosaic floors in the world,” according to the cathedral website.
But who designed this marvel? What masters created it?
Relatives of those unassuming artists have published a biography of the Italian migrant craftsmen who contributed so much to Sydney’s cultural development. Francesca and Victoria Hynes say that the splendour of the achievement of their grandfather, Peter Melocco, and great-uncles, Antonio and Galliano, has gone largely unnoticed.
“Our grandfather always believed that good craftsmanship should speak for itself, so he never promoted himself,” says Victoria. “I felt that nothing was really known about the brothers and their company.”
At least, until now.
Together with Zeny Edwards, a prominent architectural biographer, the Hynes sisters have traced the Melocco brothers’ distinctive imprint on Sydney architecture in Painting with Stone, a definitive account of the grandfather they never knew.
“Peter was born at the end of the 19th century, so he had passed away by the time Victoria and I were born,” recalls Francesca.
“It’s bittersweet, but hopefully this book not only captures the stories we were told about our grandfather but also help conserves the history of their works.”
Among the Melocco brothers’ more recognisable works is their mosaic and terrazzo work on the cathedral’s crypt and Chapel of the Irish Saints.
“When you begin a tour of St Mary’s Cathedral, you start off with the Chapel of the Irish Saints and end with the crypt, and those just so happened to be [Peter’s] first commissioned job and [the brothers’] last,” says Francesca. “That family connection for me is really present through the cathedral.”
Victoria adds that the cathedral was the central structure in the working lives of the Melocco brothers.
“It’s kind of interesting that the cathedral traces the beginning and end of our grandfather’s career. It’s this full-circle moment where we have two very different structures that both display the brothers’ craftsmanship and the essence of the cathedral.”
With their artisanship etched into the very heart of the cathedral, what is often overlooked about the Melocco brothers’ portfolio is their involvement with some of Sydney’s most beautiful buildings, a history that Francesca and Victoria learned about and loved in their childhood.
One of them, the Mitchell library vestibule in the State Library, is “utterly beautiful” according to Victoria.
“When we were younger, our mother would take us to the State Library to see the vestibule in the Mitchell library. It replicates the original 17th century map of Abel Tasman’s voyage to our part of the world. [The Melocco brothers] placed these beautiful cherubs and sea monsters on there as well to give the library not just this sense of whimsy but just a beautiful delicacy as well,” says Victoria.
The Melocco brothers were also responsible for the brooding and striking green columns of the Commonwealth Bank building in Martin Place, created using a scagliola technique to embed serpentine shapes within the stone, as well as the terrazzo paving in the entrance to the Dymock’s Book Arcade.
For the sisters, the Melocco brothers’ stonework inspired a spiritual connection with their grandfather beyond the grave.
“Whenever our mother took us to these places, they were just awe-inspiring and a way of connecting with Peter even though we never knew him personally,” says Victoria.
Francesca adds that even going to her local dentist, “just made me think whether [the Melocco brothers] had done the stonework in there as well. There is just extraordinary work by them all around us, and many people don’t realise it.”
This vivid realisation of the Melocco brothers’ abiding presence in Sydney daily life was the biggest inspiration for Painting with Stone.
“Craftsmen are usually considered lesser than architects and artists, and we believed that this was an opportunity for a reappraisal for those who were effectively considered tradesmen,” says Victoria.
Francesca believes that the book will not only shed light on the Melocco brothers’ work, but reignite a passion for mosaics, terrazzo and similar art forms.
“Not many people are funding or producing new works on that scale in this field of work anymore. Hopefully, this book can help build a greater appreciation for these types of art into the future.”