Emblem of the French Republic at Mdina Cathedral Museum restored

The emblem of the French Republic at the Mdina Cathedral Museum, which was conserved and restored by Recoop, is an important relic of the past where it stood as a witness to a point in time that served as a pivotal moment between two eras that influenced the course of Malta’s social, political and cultural history.

The French landed in Malta in June of 1798 and quickly took over the islands with minor resistance; the Order’s rule, which had spanned across three centuries, was over.

Within a few days, the French introduced laws and reforms. Among them was the removal of the coat of arms pertaining to the Order of St John and the aristocracy, which were to be replaced by the symbols of the French Republic.

In the first few weeks of the French occupation, the procurator of the Mdina Cathedral, Can. Francesco Saverio Caruana, paid the Maltese painter Michele Busuttil the sum of 15 scudi to paint the coat of arms of Bishop Vincenzo Labini, the coat of arms of the cathedral and that of the French Republic. These three coats of arms were to be placed on the façade of the cathedral.

The new emblem of the French Republic, or Marianne, did not gain significant attention until 1792, however, the origins of this “goddess of Liberty” dates back to 1775. That year, Jean-Michel Moreau, a French illustrator and engraver, depicted her as a young woman dressed in Roman-style clothing, holding a pike with a Phrygian cap on top of it, an image that would later become the national symbol in France.

Marianne first emerged in the public eye in July 1789, appearing on a medal commemorating the storming of the Bastille and other early events of the French Revolution. However, until September 1792, her image remained overshadowed by figures like Mercury and Minerva. It was only when the first French Republic sought a new emblem to represent the state that her popularity began to grow. Marianne, the female personification of Liberty, was chosen to symbolise both the ideals of liberty and the new French Republic.

As the official seal of the first French Republic, Marianne was depicted standing, young, resolute and symbolic of the fledgling nation’s aspirations. She is seen wearing a classical gown, and in her left hand she holds the revolutionary pike topped with a Phrygian cap, representing France’s liberation. She leans on a fasces, a traditional symbol of authority and unity.

Though armed with a pike, this portrayal of Marianne was not overtly aggressive, reflecting the ideology of the moderate-liberal Girondins in the National Convention. Their aim was to distance themselves from the intense violence of the ‘reign of terror’ during the revolution’s earlier days.

The oval panel depicting the effigy of the French Republic was in a dire state of conservation and preservation. It presented a dark, thick layer of oil, varnish and grime that went on to obfuscate the quality of its hues and hindered the legibility of the general iconography.

In addition, due to a number of inflicted features on the panel, as a result of its setting within an important historic event, the conservation and restoration process had to be carried out in line with ethical procedure when it comes to the interaction between vandalism and the image itself.

Interestingly, during the process of photographic documentation through multiple spectra, it was found out that the image of the French Republic was painted on top of a previous depiction, an effigy of the Order of St John, most likely linked to Grandmaster Ferdinand von Hompesch’s own coat of arms. A damnatio memoriae to firmly establish one’s own image on top of another. 

The oval was allegedly heavily vandalised by bashings and slashes

The cleaning of the panel was carried out meticulously and the process took long, mainly due to a thick layer of oxidised deposits which show a close affinity to the properties of degraded emulsions called beverone. These beverone substances were used extensively in the first half of the 20th century to consolidate decorated surfaces while enhancing muted down colours, however, as time passes, this emulsion oxidises, resulting in a tough and persistent residue. The panel had sustained a number of structural modifications through the years that caused distress and ruptures in the wooden support. These issues had to be tackled to prevent any further warpage and splits in the wood.

During the riots against the French, the oval was allegedly heavily vandalised by bashings and slashes that were directed to the face, neck, arms and symbols pertaining to the figure symbolising the allegory of the French Republic. Therefore, for the pictorial integration and retouching phase, the slashes and scratches, that were imposed on the effigy of the French Republic, were left untouched as they are considered an important element that recount and put into perspective the riots that ensued, following the socio-political turmoil between the French and the Maltese.

The introduction of modern laws by the French, which saw the abolishing of slavery, the establishment of the free press and the granting of free education for all, were quickly clouded by the augmentation of taxes and interest rates, followed by the disturbance of the clergy who played an essential role in the fabric of Maltese society. 

Jean de Bosredon de Ransijat, who served as the first president of the Commission of the French government in Malta, had annotated in his journal on the siege and the blockade of Malta that the aforementioned causes had most definitely led the Maltese to violently rise up against the French.

The oval, which was restored by Recoop, is a tangible testament of those uprisings which had started in Mdina and its surroundings. The defacing of symbols of power and vandalism becomes praxis during manifestations and violent uprisings, and their imprint in history becomes indelible.

As conservator-restorers, in collaboration with art historians and historians, we are bound to preserve these tangible relics, which go beyond matter due to their contribution in our collective analysis of our past for the sake of our future.

This article was provided by Recoop.