Gun Runner "St. George" Famagusta

Creator:

Cooper, Temple

Date:

1958

Places:

Cyprus

Inscriptions:

Inscribed on verso: Gun Runner "St. George" Famagusta. 1958. Painted under guard of Turk Policeman

Description:

This oil painting is of historical value. It depicts the fishing boat St. George used at the end of 1954 – beginning 1955 to transport ammunition from Greece to Cyprus for the EOKA struggle. The boat belonged to Anargyros Melo and the captain was Evangelos Koutalianos, both of them from Greece. It sailed from the island of Paros on 14.1.55 and sailed into Cypriot waters by the 25th when it was intercepted by the British warship Comet near the village of Chloraka in Paphos. The ammunition was confiscated and the boat was pulled out of the water. It lay for some time on the shore near the tombs of the kings in Paphos before being sold to a Cypriot as scrap. The new owner moved it to Famagusta in 1958 and tried to repair it. After Cyprus gained independence, the boat was bought by the Archbishopric, transferred to the shore of Chloraka village and placed under a shed where it can be seen today. The mere fact that the painting was executed under guard of a Turkish policeman, as attested by the inscription at the back, suggests that the control of the boat remained politically controversial for some years. [Grivas Memoirs, 1961, pp31; Thassos Sophocleous from the EOKA archives].

Dimensions:

36 x 45 cm

Signature(s):

Signed: Temple Cooper

Alternative Title:

Boat

Identifier:

PNT-00127

Classification:

Paintings

Object Type:

Oil Painting

Rights Holder:

© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation

Rights Statement:

The Costas and Rita Severis Foundation holds or manages the copyright(s) of this item and its digital reproduction. If you need information about using this item, please send an email to research@severis.org

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