Art historical analysis

The Transition of the Corpse of St Catherine to Mount Sinai is an oil-on-canvas painting by the prolific Maltese artist Francesco Zahra (1710-1773). Dated 1755, this baroque work is one of the lateral paintings in Żurrieq’s parish church of St Catherine of Alexandria.

The painting is one of two complementary choir paintings by Zahra that depict the Martyrdom of St Catherine of Alexandria, the second being The Beheading of St Catherine of Alexandria. The two lateral paintings flank the 1676 titular painting by Mattia Preti, which depicts Saints Roque, Blaise, Dominic, and Nicholas of Tolentino Interceding for the Plague-Stricken.

The painting shows the transportation of the beheaded St Catherine of Alexandria to Mount Sinai, carried by angels and putti. Zahra places the saint’s figure in the middle of the composition, wearing a pale pink billowing garment, and carried by various winged angels dressed in similar pastel shades of blue and green.

St Catherine’s head, at the top of the painting, is held by an angel who looks directly at the viewer, and is in the process of being crowned by a putto, who also holds a palm frond in his hand, signifying the saint’s victory over death through her martyrdom. In contrast to the angel, the saint’s eyes are closed, while her lips are parted, evidence of the pain that the beheading has caused her.

The painting before and after conservation treatments. Photo: Manuel Ciantar and Suzanne Ciantar Ferrito obo Amy Sciberras Conservators

The dead saint’s arms are crossed against her chest, symbolising her serenity and alignment with God’s will. She also wears a royal cloak decorated with rich ermine fur, a reminder of her noble descent: she was a princess and a renowned scholar who embraced Christianity when she was 14, converting hundreds to the faith before being martyred at the age of 18. The symbol of her virginity also emerges through the lily bud held by the putto on the left.

Zahra uses a vibrant palette and the whole scene is characterised by a great sense of dynamism, epitomising the artist’s late baroque style. The dynamic group floats against a background of clouds above Mount Sinai, with St Catherine’s Monastery, the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery built by Emperor Justinian, in the background.

At the bottom right of the painting, on one of the mountain’s stones, the coat of arms of the benefactor is depicted. It includes the cross of the Order of St John and features a whitish silver background with a red band in the middle, above which is a red label with five pendants.

The coat of arms is adorned with a ducal crown and a helmet with a dragon finial, belonging to Fra Guido Sambiase (1702-1753), an Italian knight of the Order of St John who commissioned the two lateral paintings representing his langues. The paintings were likely executed posthumously. There is no information about the commissioning of the two lateral works except for their payment in 1755, which was likely made because they were donated to the church.

Born in 1710, Zahra was a late baroque artist and Malta’s leading local painter during the mid-18th century. He became renowned for his prolific output and remarkable brushwork, adorning Maltese churches with paintings, marble altars, silver artefacts and liturgical vessels, among other decorative works. His creative brilliance brought a refreshing compositional vitality to his artistic production, reflecting the sophistication of a mature artist and cementing his reputation as one of the most influential baroque artists in Malta.

The saint’s eyes are closed, her lips are parted, evidence of the pain the beheading caused her

This work is one of two depicting the same subject of the transport of St Catherine’s corpse; the second is at Catherine church of Żejtun. Unlike the Żurrieq work, whose story unfolds in the clouds, the scene at Żejtun takes place in a mountainous landscape.

Zahra’s Transition of the Corpse of St Catherine to Mount Sinai is an integral painting at Żurrieq’s church of St Catherine of Alexandria and is also a testament to the capabilities of the prolific baroque artist. Through its recent restoration, this painting may now be admired in its full splendour, offering opportunities for further appreciation and study of its artistic value.

Studies and conservation treatments

Until only a few months ago, the painting was nearly completely overpainted. Amy Sciberras Conservators estimate that around 80 per cent of the original paint was concealed by past retouching. Besides, the oil-on-canvas painting also exhibited structural and physical damage.

Apart from broad canvas deformations due to improper tensioning, a large and complex tear at the centre was being held in place by duct tape pieces applied to the verso in a past intervention.

Details showing the state of the painting prior to treatments, including a complex and substantial tear towards the centre of the painting. Photo: Manuel Ciantar and Suzanne Ciantar Ferrito obo Amy Sciberras Conservators

The duct tape patch applied in a past intervention to cover a major tear, and after its removal. Photo: Amy Sciberras Conservators

Further patched tears and canvas deterioration were found following the unmounting of the painting from its stretcher frame. In fact, several months of this conservation project were dedicated simply to removing and reversing past interventions that were not truly benefitting the painting and which were masking the artist’s grandeur.

During the initial phases of the cleaning procedure. Photos: Amy Sciberras Conservators

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During initial studies and analysis by the team, it was noted that Zahra adjoined three pieces of canvas through vertical seams to acquire the desired surface area for the painting. Furthermore, it was noted that the paint layer was bent onto the tacking margin, meaning the painting was originally painted on a slightly larger stretcher frame. He then applied a reddish-brown ground layer in preparation for receiving the paint. The artist made use of glazes and layering of hues to achieve depth and luminosity.

Due to the original being mostly overpainted, the initial insights into his technique were gained through multispectral imaging carried out in collaboration with technical art photographers Manuel Ciantar and Suzanne Ciantar Ferrito, as well as through X-radiography analysis done by radiographer Aldo Busuttil.

Multispectral imaging of the painting carried out during the initial phase of studies. Photos: Manuel Ciantar and Suzanne Ciantar Ferrito obo Amy Sciberras Conservators

X-radiography details taken during the initial analysis and giving the first insights into Zahra’s execution of the painting. Photo: Triton NDT Ltd obo Amy Sciberras Conservators

The acquired images were crucial for Amy Sciberras Conservators during the implementation of conservation treatments, especially during the removal of overpaint. Cleaning treatments were divided into two phases, the first aimed at removing the first layers of oxidised and polymerised varnishes, and the second aimed at uncovering the original from thick layers of dark overpaint. The detailed hills and mountains in the background, which details were only visible in the infrared and X-radiography images, finally emerged along with other details such as the original hues of the drapery, skin tones, sky and the much blonder original hair of the saint.

It was then necessary to unmount the canvas from its stretcher frame in preparation for the required structural treatments. Dirt pockets that had accumulated throughout the centuries were cleaned from the back of the canvas; deformations in the canvas support were lowered through moisture treatments; and old patches were removed, along with aged adhesives used by past restorers.

Various stages of the conservation project. Photos: Amy Sciberras Conservators

The lowering of canvas deformations allowed the alignment of cut threads and their reweaving, which was followed by localised reinforcement using a specific conservation-grade fabric. A strip-lining treatment involving the attachment of new feathered (thinned down) canvas strips to the perimeter not only reinforced the margins of Zahra’s painting, but also allowed its restretching and proper tensioning.

This satisfying conservation journey was concluded by the infilling and chromatic integration of losses in the upper ground and paint layers respectively. Reversible varnish colours were employed, and a final protective coating having a satin finish was applied to protect the painting against agents of deterioration such as dust and pollutants.

Conservation director Amy Sciberras delivering a talk about the extensive conservation works carried out, on August 27, 2024. Photos: Amy Sciberras Conservators – Fine Arts Restoration, and Architect Daniel Darmanin respectively

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The conservation project was inaugurated on August 25, by Żurrieq parish archpriest Rev. Daniel Cardona, and a talk about its conservation was delivered by Amy Sciberras on August 27.

Acknowledgments

This conservation project was entrusted to Amy Sciberras Conservators by Żurrieq parish archpriest Rev. Daniel Cardona, who worked in close collaboration with church volunteer Jeremy Cachia, and was made possible through EU funds and the Gal Xlokk Foundation. Special thanks to Anthony Mangion, archivist and author of several historical publications, for his research and collaboration.

Amy Sciberras directs a team of conservators and has been entrusted with restoration projects of national and international importance. She is also the founder and director of the fine arts restoration company ASC Conservation Centre Ltd and may be contacted via www.amysciberras.com or e-mail info@amysciberras.com.

Nadette Xuereb is an art historian who specialises on the role of women in the arts during the baroque period. She works in the cultural heritage sector and teaches history of art at A level at the University of Malta Junior College. E-mail nadette.xuereb@um.edu.mt.