The residents of Żurrieq are this Sunday celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Like other localities this year, the focus will be on the religious aspect, rather than on the usual revelry Maltese feasts are associated with.

The painting after the conservation and restoration treatments.

One of the altars is dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at St Catherine’s parish church.

The first references to this historic altar date to the pastoral visit of November 1636. A newer church was then built  but the altar was kept, together with a painting of Our Lady adorning it. However, in 1908, a new painting was ordered due to alterations made in the church.

The painting that was removed was restored by PrevArti and unveiled last year.

Historian Rev. Dr Jonathan Farrugia says that due to lack of detailed documentation, it is, however, not possible to claim that the painting removed in 1908 is the same painting mentioned in the 17th century. Yet, he adds that the iconography mostly coincides with the description given in the notes of visitations (another visitation took place in January 1646) made nearly 400 years earlier.

The oil on canvas painting ‒ which could be the work of Gian Nichola Buhagiar ‒ depicts Our Lady giving the scapular to St Simon Stock, with St Anthony the Abbott on the left hand side of the image.

Angels scattered around the painting, with one holding a pilgrim’s staff, may be later additions. Rev. Caruana comments that these angels “artistically and stylistically point to a later period than the main figures of the Madonna and the saints”.

Details (above and below) of the painting’s damage before the restoration process.

The canvas was found to be in an “extremely bad state of conservation” as it had been rolled and stored improperly for a long period, according to the restoration report prepared by PrevArti.

Besides it had three large lacunae cut out at random. The report states that the painting was covered by a layer of surface dirt which had accumulated on the surface and was hindering the original pigments to show through.

The cleaning process

The paint layer was also unstable as it was powdering and a large number of abrasions were present throughout.

The conservation and restoration process involved several steps, including the relining and re-stretching of the canvas, cleaning using an aqueous-based product, infilling of lacunae using an appropriate gesso material and reintegration of losses in the paint layer using reversible conservation standard Maimeri colours. A protective varnish coating was finally applied to the painting’s surface.

The painting now hangs near the church’s entrance for the admiration of all.

The application of gesso to fill lacunae.

A detail of the paining showing the reintegration of losses in the paint layer.