One of the art pieces displayed in the John Kinder Theological Library is a painting by Captain Matthew Thomas Clayton, depicting Samuel Marsden’s landing at the Bay of Islands to preach a Christmas Day sermon in 1814.
An article in the December 1914 issue of Church Gazette states that
“[…] a few months before his death, Archdeacon Walsh gave to Captain Clayton a sketch in chalk of the landing of the Rev. Samuel Marsden, at the Bay of Islands, on Christmas Day, 1814.”
From that sketch, Captain Clayton created his painting which was then hung at an Auckland art exhibition. The painting failed to sell and was offered to the members of the Synod for purchase to present to the Diocese and was later gifted to St John’s Theological College.
The painting also has a copper plaque attached to the frame, the inscription reads: – ‘The Landing of Samuel Marsden, at the Bay of Islands on Christmas Day, 1814.’
The copper was given to Clayton by Captain W. Farquhar, of the ship ‘Clansman’ and was claimed to have come from the sailing ship ‘Boyd’, attacked by local Maori in the Whangaroa Harbour in December 1809, five years previous to Marsden’s arrival in the Bay of Islands.
