15th century Mdina choir stalls restoration project
Objective
The Mdina Metropolitan Museum houses several wood elements pertaining to the 15th century choir stalls of St.Paul’s Cathedral. The choir stalls were functional up till 1876, after which they had been dismantled and replaced by a newer choir that is still in use today. During the manufacturing of the new choir, some of the elements of the old choir had been integrated in the new one, the other remaining elements had been scattered around the halls of the cathedral and museum.
Recently the scattered elements have been recuperated and are stored in the reserve collection of the museum. These elements are currently in precarious condition and require urgent conservation treatment.
The objective of the project is to study, conserve and restore these elements and to re-assamble a section of the old choir following the original scheme of the choir. The reconstruction shall be subdivided in two sections, one containing 3 stalls and integrating two ending sides and the other section being the Dignitary’s stall. The two sections are to be exhibited separate due to the original plan of the choir being at an angle. The reassembled section is to be exhibited in the Mdina Metropolitan Museum as an exhibit of the medieval masterpiece.
The conservation and restoration consist in the care of the artistic value of the work of art and of its constituent materials.
Inventory entries for all newly recuperated elements. A graphical and photographical mapping of the state of preservation of the elements that will be integrated in the reconstruction will be produced prior to the commencement of the interventions in order to document all the intervention treatment.
Significance of Artefact
The artifact was a showcase of 15th century furniture design and craftsmanship. The stalls were embellished by a myriad of inlay techniques including ‘alla Certosina’ ‘a Toppo’ and ‘a Buio’ inlay. The endeavor of achieving depth and perspective experimentation is a pointer to the oncoming Renaissance period. The inlaid panels are prime examples of Medieval Iconography and iconographical schemes. The intrinsic value of the elements extends also to the constituent materials. Scientific analysis of the wood may result into significant information leading to improved knowledge of Medieval practices . For example a scientific identification of the wood species used in the execution of the inlays may provide significant information with regards to trade connections of the period. The species and radial size of the back panels allow Dendro-chronological, dendro-provenance and derdro-climatic analysis.
The ensemble is a documentation of medieval furniture design. A detailed metric survey and study of the joints of the remnant elements revealed enough data to allow the possibility to recreate the original appearance of the medieval choir stalls. Between the seats, the standards were pierced with a quadrant culminating in a carved hand-rest for use by the occupant when seated. Above seat level, the seat-capping provided the main horizontal structural support, effectively clamping the seats together. The projecting seat-capping elbows functioned as arm-rests for standing occupants. The capping was cut from single pieces of wood (walnut) five to seven centimetres deep, encompassing several stalls. Between the seat-capping and canopy base, stall-dividers separated one stall from another and provided some vertical stability.
Stall-dividers were carved with elaborate foliate designs. The stall-back is a large rectangular panel between the seat-capping and canopy-base, filled with intarsia designs. The canopy rested on a projecting horizontal canopy-base surmounted by a plain or carved cornice now missing.
Brief History of the Artifact
The Choir stalls were originally intended for the church of the Dominican Frairs of Sta Maria della Grotta. On the 2nd of January 1481, the Notary Enrico Candura drafted the contract deed that marks the agreement between the Dominican Frairs , represented by Fra Pietro Zurchi and the maestri carpentieri Parisio and PierAntonio ‘Calatura/Calacura” of Catania. The agreement regarding the manufacture of a new set of choir stalls. These choir stalls had to be manufactured upon the model of the choir stalls of the Dominican Priory in Syracuse.
Among other details the contract states that the choir should contain 20 seats on each side subdivided in an upper and lower tier. A “guarda polvere” and a metal “coronetta” should surmount the stalls. The timbers to be utilized had to be walnut for the upper parts whereas the lower parts should be manufactured out of chestnut. The sum to be paid for such work was of 40 sicilian oncie, and work had to be concluded within a period of 2 years.
The ensemble is a documentation of medieval furniture design. A detailed metric survey and study of the joints of the remnant elements revealed enough data to allow the possibility to recreate the original appearance of the medieval choir stalls. Between the seats, the standards were pierced with a quadrant culminating in a carved hand-rest for use by the occupant when seated. Above seat level, the seat-capping provided the main horizontal structural support, effectively clamping the seats together. The projecting seat-capping elbows functioned as arm-rests for standing occupants. The capping was cut from single pieces of wood (walnut) five to seven centimetres deep, encompassing several stalls. Between the seat-capping and canopy base, stall-dividers separated one stall from another and provided some vertical stability.
Stall-dividers were carved with elaborate foliate designs. The stall-back is a large rectangular panel between the seat-capping and canopy-base, filled with intarsia designs. The canopy rested on a projecting horizontal canopy-base surmounted by a plain or carved cornice now missing.
The works were delivered to the Friars representatives in Catania, who were responsible for the shipping of the artifact to Malta. In 1486 the Universita wanted to order a choir for the Cathedral, the bishop of the day felt that this privilege was reserved only to him. In order to unwind the dispute the Dominican Friars decided to offer their new choir to the Cathedral chapter and took in exchange the old choir stalls. The choir stalls were installed in the presbytery of the Cathedral, flanking the sides and in front of the main altar.
Through the years the choir stalls suffered various interventions and alterations.
In 1681, during the office of Bishop Molina, the cathedral was given a portion of the Bishop’s palace thus allowing for an expansion of the presbytery. The stalls were thus moved from their location in front of the altar and positioned behind the altar. The backsides of the choir that according to documents were highly ornamented were thus hidden and no longer visible due to the restricted area.
The new location of the choir allowed for an extension of the choir, and eventually the Bishop and Canons agreed to add 3 more stalls to each side of the choir, hence raising the seating capacity from 40 to 52. Later this number was reduced again to 48, due to alterations to the interior of the cathedral, while the walls were being encrusted with marble slabs the choir stalls needed to be reduced to allow space for the insertion of the marble slabs.
On the 11th of January 1693, a great earthquake shook and damaged the Cathedral. The part that was least damaged was the newly built presbytery where the choir lay. Nevertheless, the earthquake damaged the choir stalls and some work needed to be carried out. Documents state that the intervention that was done at this period were such that altered the original nature of the stalls and that the newly introduced elements were not analogically correct to the original design of the stalls.
By the mid-19th century the choir stalls had reached such level of deterioration that it was believed that the choir was beyond recuperation:
“Vari progetti si erano in diverse epoche contemplate, ma sempre si era trovata difficolta, intorno al modo particolarmente di ristaurare le tavole in tarsia, che formavano il dorsale de’ maggiori sedili. Alcuni opinavano che si avesse a tentar di fare tali lavori da artisti romani, prendendo Roma come sede ove primeggiano le arti cristiane. Altri trovavano oggezione a tale progetto, considerando che alcune delle tarsie erano cosi monche ed alterate da non permettere ristauro di sorta alcuna” É Mons. Dr.Paolo Pullicino 1877
On the 11th November 1870, the Chapter decided that a refurbishment/renewal of the choir stalls was necessary. The works were to be conducted by Emmanuele Decelis a local mastercraftsman from Floriana, residing in Birgu, resulting in the current choir stalls present in the cathedral today. Some of the elements of the old choir were reutilized in the manufacturing of the new stalls. July 1876 saw the beginning of the demolition of the old choir and installment of the new one, these works took six months, and completed on the 24th December of 1876. The remnant parts of the old choir have been stored ever since.
The stall dividers and “guarda-polvere” elements from the 1481 choir stalls have been integrated into the 1876 choir stalls. Such elements need to be re-carved/re-manufactured and integrated in the reconstruction.
Current State of Preservation
The preliminary study of the remnant elements has revealed that the elements pertaining to the choir stalls are in severe state. The manufacturing of a new choir settled the functional problem but did not halt the deterioration processes. The accumulating deterioration led to their poor state of conservation. The deterioration of these elements is of both biological and anthropological nature, the following are a few examples of the major concerning issues with regards to the posterity of these elements.
Intervention program
Metric documentation and catalogation of all the salvaged elements
Mapping of current state of preservation
Eradication of insect infestation
Consolidation
Treatment of corroded metal elements
Removal of later additions
Cleaning
Repairs and patching
Re adhesion of tarsia elements
Inlay integration
Copying and remanufacture of elements reutilized in the new choir
Matching
Finishing
Manufacturing of supporting structure
Assembly and positioning
Final documentation
The completion period of the project is expected to be between 12 months from commencement
Materials used will be compatible to the original fabric of the object and the majority of the intervention will be reversible
