Historic altar painting, crucifix at Siġġiewi parish church being restored

An altar painting and a crucifix dating back to the late 17th century executed for the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in Siġġiewi Parish Church are undergoing major restoration and conservation works, supported by Bank of Valletta.

The Golgotha Group which was executed in Rome (possibly under the supervision of Lorenzo Gafà), was completed in August 1700 and arrived in Malta on January 4, 1701.

The Siġġiewi parish church, designed by Lorenzo Gafà, was completed in the 1690’s and the construction of the altar of Our Lady of Sorrows was executed between 1694 and 1696. Gafà was in Rome to oversee works on the titular work for St John’s Conventual Church in 1699. It is possible that at this time he was also overseeing the execution of the Golgotha Group. 

[attach id=893154 size="large" align="left" type="image"]Photo: BOV[/attach]

The painting is attributed to Michelangelo Marulli, a Maltese artist practicing in Rome, while the crucifix is the work of sculptor Giovanni Battista Vanelli. Emerging data supports the idea of a close collaboration between the two artists and indicates that Marulli polychromised the crucifix.

All this information was revisited and complemented by physical...