From Ms R. De Angelis

With reference to Dr Simon Mercieca’s letter “The restoration of Cali’s Crucifix dome painting at Cospicua’s parish church (TMIS, 12 October), I would like to state the following facts.

The M.Phil dissertation I submitted in 2004 to the University of Malta, entitled “A study on the deterioration and conservation of wall paintings on Globigerina Limestone: the mural paintings by G. Calì in the church of the Immaculate Conception, Cospicua, Malta”, led to the conclusion that the appalling condition of the dome painting by Giuseppe Calì in the Chapel of the Crucifix is due to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. These include the limestone quality and the manner in which the painting was produced, the presence of very high amounts of sulphates (gypsum) and the severe and recurrent rainwater infiltration that for decades seeped through the chapel’s masonry. This information can be found in my dissertation and in two articles published in occasion of international conferences, which are also accessible through Internet.

On my part, as a fully trained paintings conservator with long experience, my professional contribution so far to the conservation of these paintings was and remains of a purely scientific nature. The successful outcome of my research owes a lot to the collaboration of internationally renowned specialists in the field of conservation from several local and foreign institutions. These are acknowledged in my dissertation, together with the Cottonera Rehabilitation Project, which partly funded this research by providing the necessary scaffolding.

Had funds been available then, the next natural step would have been the conservation of these paintings. It is significant that specialists from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence were recently involved in the evaluation of conservation treatments and measures necessary for the preservation of the dome painting. This institute, together with the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro in Rome, where I studied, is one of the few institutions in Italy of international repute with considerable experience in teaching and training professional conservators. There is no doubt that the contribution provided by the specialists from the OPD will be essential for the preservation of the dome painting of the Chapel of the Crucifix. Similarly, the conservation project would also benefit from the experience gained by others during long and detailed studies of the local situation.

Although found in a serious condition, this painting is important for the parish church of Cospicua, which unfortunately has already lost a large part of its original decoration painted by Giuseppe Calì. This painting also carries a great deal of information about the history of the chapel itself and about one of Malta’s most prolific and valid artists. From the experience gained through leading Heritage Malta’s conservation project of the vault painting in the Main Hall at Verdala Palace, I have learnt that each piece of work by Giuseppe Calì adds further knowledge on the notable talent and eclectic personality of this artist. The preservation of the dome painting in the Chapel of the Crucifix is therefore a serious and urgent matter to prevent another unfortunate loss to Cottonera’s, and Malta’s, cultural heritage.

Roberta De Angelis

Paintings Conservator