An appeal has been launched to recreate two ecclesiastical paintings at King William’s College chapel.

The Chapel of St Thomas, has undergone renovation work which means two of its paintings by Mr C. E. Gray have had to be removed.

The paintings were completed in 1890, a gift of the then principal and his wife, Mr and Mrs Walters, in memory of their son who died in infancy. College staff hope an island artist can hand-paint their own creation, while staying faithful to the original depiction.

The subject represented is the Te Deum. There are two groups standing on a flight of steps; on the left the Prophets arranged in order and holding a scroll; on the right the Apostles each bearing a conventional symbol.

Principal Joss Buchanan said: ’Our chapel is home to some beautiful art and these extraordinary paintings are almost like hidden gems as many people don’t even know they exist.

’Due to the nature of the work we are unable to save them but the interior decoration is so symbolic, we thought it would be ideal for them to be lovingly recreated rather than just reproduced from a photograph.’

Artists interested in being commissioned to carry out the work should email [email protected]