Restoration and conservation works on a 1700 painting and crucifix forming the ‘Golgotha Group’ at the Siġġiewi parish church have been completed.

The Siġġiewi Golgotha Group in place at the parish church.

The project, supported by Bank of Valletta and executed by Agatha Grima Conservators, was primarily aimed at structurally strengthening both works. The painting is attributed to Michelangelo Marulli, a Maltese artist practising in Rome, while the crucifix is the work of sculptor Giovanni Battista Vanelli.

While presenting the conservation and restoration process during the project’s inauguration, head conservator Agatha Grima explained how the works were fragile, having suffered greatly as a result of their immediate environment and aggressive previous interventions. Non-invasive optical imaging techniques, ranging across high-resolution digital photography, ultraviolet visible fluorescence, transmitted infrared and x-ray radiography, were used to support this.

Grima showing an X-ray of the crucifix (see detail on the bottom) to Charles Azzopardi, executive PR and marketing at Bank of Valletta.

The crucifix was in a fragile state of conservation mainly due to previous attacks of wood-boring insects

Head conservator Agatha Grima during the restoration process.

A study about the condition of the works defined that the oil-on-canvas painting had been treated numerous times, at times even while hanging in place. Haphazard cleaning instances left the painting structurally weak and fragile and caused the painting to develop areas of serious deformations.

There were also thick patches found on the back side of the canvas, which were sewed to fix mechanical tears, while a dark thick ‘stucco’ on the front top of the original layer was used during a previous restoration. This turned out to be much more detrimental to the painting itself as this area was found heavily overpainted.

Furthermore, thick layers of oxidised and yellowed varnish together with ingrained dust were hiding details and dulling the original palette.

The wood-sculpted and polychromed crucifix was in a fragile state of conservation mainly due to previous attacks of wood-boring insects. It also gave evidence to previous interventions showing large areas of overpaint and oxidised and yellowed varnish layers on the surface.

Specific treatment was formulated to primarily consolidate and strengthen the material of both the painting and the crucifix. The cleaning and removal of foreign materials gave a better readability to the work enabling a respectful aesthetic integration.

The Golgotha Group restoration and conservation project was commissioned by the Siġġiewi parish church headed by Archpriest Fr Josef Mifsud, who conducted an inaugural celebration on December 4.