The restoration work on the 20 original paintings by Maltese artist Emvin Cremona – on which the mosaics that now adorn the

Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary in Gozo were subsequently commissioned – when completed will have returned a prestigious artistic collection back to its former glory.

Bank of Valletta is supporting this project through a sponsorship of Lm10,000. The restoration is being carried out by Gozitan restorer Godwin Cutajar from Fontana. The project started in October 2005 and nine paintings have been restored. Completion of the remaining 11 works is targeted for 2008.

The two most recently restored works, The Immaculate Conception and The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple have been featured in the latest edition of the bi-monthly issue of the publication Madonna ta’ Pinu, in which Mr Cutajar referred to the restoration process and the state in which the paintings had been found.

The two paintings, both dated and signed by Emvin Cremona, were paid for by a certain Frangisk Mercieca as found written at the bottom of the two paintings. During the restoration of The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple some interesting discoveries were made, namely pertaining to the way the artist painted a number of details. These so called pentimenti include an alteration to the priest’s tunic which was originally going to be longer than it is as well as alterations to the plate in the foreground. In The Immaculate Conception, it was found that the roses were added at a later stage when the background had already been completed; in fact the artist’s sketch work is still clearly visible.

“Notwithstanding the fact that the canvas has lost most of its elasticity resulting in severe paint loss and some loss of paint due to the fact that the works were rolled, the paintings were found to be in a relatively good state of conservation and have now been successfully restored,” explained Mr Cutajar.

“Minor damages and minute holes in the canvas have been re-filled with thermoplastic adhesive that is compatible with the original material of the canvas and although the top part of the paintings are in a semi-circular shape, they have been stretched again on rectangular frames to avoid any unnecessary loss of canvas.”

“We are delighted to see this project moving forward at a steady pace and also glad with the news that restoration is proceeding smoothly and delivering positive results,” said Tonio Depasquale, chief executive officer of Bank of Valletta.

“We are also proud to be associated with this important project since the preservation of Malta’s artistic and cultural heritage is one of the main objectives of Bank of Valletta’s Community Programme. We hope that this project is not only important for the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary, but also that it will have significant impact on Gozo’s cultural legacy and the country’s artistic heritage. Emvin Cremona was one of Malta’s most respected artists and, as a pioneer of modern art in Malta, his artistic contribution to the embellishment of this sanctuary gains further significance,” added Mr Depasquale.

The 20 works, completed by Emvin Cremona between 1954 and 1962, were hung in the sanctuary until they were sent to Italy for the mosaics to be produced. They were stored in a closet in the chapel and subsequently forgotten. Some of these paintings got wet when they came back from Italy and remained damp for a long time, so the canvas had lost most of its elasticity, resulting in the grave loss of paint. In fact, of the 20 paintings, 18 had been rolled up and each of these is now being stretched onto a new stretcher according to the tradition of painting on canvas.

It is planned that once the restoration process is complete, these original Emvin Cremona paintings will be displayed in the sacristy of the sanctuary, to be enjoyed by all the visitors to the Ta’ Pinu Sanctuary.