St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Cape Town is also known as the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt. It was consecrated in 1851 and is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in South Africa.
It is the seat of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cape Town.

The Cathedral is situated in the heart of the City of Cape Town, directly opposite the South African Parliament and at the meeting point of an important thoroughfare linking Cape Town to its outlying suburbs. The Cathedral also occupies a central position as the ‘Mother Church’ both of the Archdiocese and of the rest of South Africa.
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All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
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The Lutheran Church in Strand Street in Cape Town is the oldest church building in South Africa, dating back to 1792. It was declared a National Monument in 1949.

It is one of a unique group of eighteenth century buildings, the others being Martin Melck House and Sexton's House. These buildings are of particular historical importance as they symbolise the long drawn-out struggle of the Lutherans for the right to practice their religion.

When the Dutch first settled at the Cape in 1652, the Dutch East India Company limited the colonist's freedom of worship to the Dutch Reformed faith. However, for many years Lutheran worship was held in a hall, erected by a wealthy merchant, Martin Melck. The building was officially described as a warehouse. However, although the colonial administrators were aware of the actual use of the building, they chose to turn a blind eye.

In 1776 the hall was transferred to the congregation by Martin Melck. It already contained an organ, a communion chalice and a lectern in the form of a swan with outstretched wings: the symbol of Lutheranism. Another swan was proudly displayed above the entrance.

In 1779, following a number of petitions from German, Danish and Scandinavian officials in the Cape, the Company relented and decided to grant the Lutherans the right to form their own church. In the following year, Andreas Kolver of Rotterdam became the first Pastor. During the next four years considerable improvements were made to the hall, but it was mainly during the years 1787 to 1792 that the building was transformed and beautified. This was done by the leading Cape sculptor of the time, Anton Anreith. He designed the front elevation, but his main contribution was the decoration of the interior by his excellent wood carvings. The most important of these works were the magnificent pulpit supported by two great male figures and the choir-stalls with a carving of King David in high relief.

In 1818 the church had to be rebuilt to a considerable extent because of the poor condition of the walls and the roof. At this time a spire was built, but unfortunately there were deviations from Anreith's design which robbed the facade and entrance of much of their former beauty. There have been few alterations to the church since. The spire with its belfry rises almost from street level, while the original old railings offer brave resistance to the encroachment of the city. The same slate path which so many churchgoers have used over the years still leads from the gate to the paved entrance porch. Inside, the sense of devotion is enhanced by Anreith's incomparable pulpit, the historic old pews, the lovely copper basins and font. Here the Church Archives and the valuable communion plate are also preserved.

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All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me below or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

Encephalartos transvenosus is a palm-like cycad found in the mountains of Limpopo Province, South Africa, particularly on two hills near Duivelskloof. Its common name, Modjadji cycad, alludes to the female dynasty of the Lobedu people, the Rain Queens, whose hereditary name is Modjadji. The queen resides near a valley (of late a nature reserve) which is densely forested with these cycads, which they protected and hold sacred. It is a tall majestic tree and has been protected by generations of rain-queens. It forms pure forests on these hills, the only cycad forests in Southern Africa.
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As a garden subject, Encephalartos transvenosus, with its glossy dark-green leaves, is one of the most spectacular and tallest of all cycad species. It is also one of the fastest growing, developing to a height of 6 to 8m or more with a leaf spread of up to 5m. The plants produce cones with the male and female cones being produced on separate plants. Male cones develop to a length of 300-400mm; the female cones are very large and heavy. The cones are golden brown in colour and are produced in late summer, weighing more than 40 kg.


All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me below or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

It's always exciting when a gallery accepts one's work to exhibit in their space. It's even better when it's a newly opened gallery which has created quite a buzz, and when it's literally around the corner. This new gallery is filled with work of good taste and is especially colourful at night time when I walk past.

The ikkat Gallery on Main is in Sea Point, Cape Town. It's fully of beautiful and exciting contemporary South African art, and must be a really go-to gallery for anyone interested in decor and design.

I've delighted to have so many pieces of my art work on show in the gallery.
Their on-line display of my work on their website is also very attractive. Really worth a visit!

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All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me below or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

The Gardens Shul, the Cape Town Hebrew Congregation, was established 1841 and is the oldest congregation in South Africa. Built in 1862 the structure may be the oldest synagogue building in the country. Situated in Paddock Avenue in the Gardens area of central Cape Town, the building has the appearance of a temple with a stone frontage comprising a heavy colonnade of Egyptian-style columns which bear an unusual combination of decorative Greek and Egyptian motifs.

Today the building forms the entrance to the Jewish Museum. In 1941 the centenary year of the Cape Town Hebrew Congregation, a society to establish a Jewish Museum and Archives was founded in Cape Town. Its main object was to collect and preserve articles and documents, illustrating the history of the Jewish community in South Africa, but the project made slow progress, and it was not until August 1958 that the museum was opened officially.

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All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me below or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

The Adderley Street Flower Market is one of the oldest markets in Cape Town. For over 150 years these ladies have been selling their flowers in the Adderley Street Flower Market where the businesses have been handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter.

Here you’ll find hundreds of flower bouquets in colourful pots, buckets and containers. These flowers are much cheaper than you’d find in any shop. The prices aren’t fixed and it’s a pleasure to bargain with these bright and witty ladies to come to a price you both agree on. But remember, they have to make a living!

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All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me below or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

The quiet town of Oudtshoorn lies between the majestic mountains of the Klein Karoo. In winter, snow covers the nearby mountain peaks and in summer temperatures sizzle. Its dry, extreme climate has much to do with the town’s success, where once ostrich farmers bathed in brandy and papered their walls in pound notes, when Oudtshoorn became known as the ostrich capital of the world.

It began when ostrich feathers became a major European and British fashion accessory in the mid-1800s. Oudtshoorn farmers were quick to realise that the Karoo environment was ideal to raise ostriches and began ripping up their agricultural fields and domesticating wild birds. Breeding pairs of birds thrived and farmers pocketed up to R200 per kilogram for their feathers, an astonishing amount in 1884.

Although the demand for ostrich feathers has drastically decreased, their skins are now used to produce high-end fashion accessories. Ostrich meat has become a popular alternative to beef or lamb. As a result, Oudtshoorn continues as an active ostrich farming town, boasting the largest number of ostriches in the world.

​​All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
contact me below or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

Our South African aloes are in full bloom just now. This species, which has the common name 'coral aloe', is found widely across the Cape on rocky slopes and in the semi-arid Karoo area.​ The Coral aloe's species name, "striata", means "stripes", and refers to the long lines (sometimes very faint) on its blue-green leaves.

​All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.

Cotyledon arbiculata is widespread throughout South Africa, but is usually confined to rocky outcrops in grassland, fynbos and karoo regions. It’s also a widely grown garden plant and now, everywhere you look, it’s in glorious full flower.
The name pig's ears is derived from the oval shape of the grey-green leaves. The brightly coloured flowers attract bees and birds, which feed on the nectar of the plant.
It is a well-known medicinal plant. The fleshy part of the leaf is applied by many South Africans to soften and remove hard corns and warts. The heated leaf is used as a poultice for boils and other accessible inflammations, earache in particular. The Southern Sotho use a dried leaf as a protective charm for an orphan child and as a plaything.

All my works are available as high quality prints on non-archival paper or on stretched canvas.
Visit the online gallery here to view my available work.
​
Place your order
by phone on +27 79 247 7532
by email to gutmansolly@gmail.com
or inbox me on facebook: Solly Gutman Scratchboard Art

Other prints and a range of lifestyle products are available from Fine Art America - worldwide shipping available.