Imago Dei : sculpted images of the Crucifix in the art of early modern Malta

Abstract

No image is stronger in Christian iconography than the crucifix. Images of crosses and derivative symbols date back to prehistoric antiquity. But its most popular use throughout the last two millennia certainly originated during the early decades of Christianity. As a revered symbol, the crucifix has since undergone several developments, each reflecting a cultural variation on a singular theme. Almost simultaneous to historic developments, there also emerged a popular attachment to the physical manifestations of the crucifix itself. The symbol became a work of art, often to be treasured equally by the highest echelons of the nobility, the Church or the communities that rallied around the parishes in which the crucifix would have normally come to reside. Often, the artworks that embodied the spiritual significance of the Christian crucifix assumed a life of their own, becoming at once sacred and mundane. They pertained to the exclusiveness of religious rites, but equally to the demands of popular religion. Throughout this study, these and various other issues are presented in a most interesting manner. Historical perceptions of the Christian crucifix are juxtaposed against the realities of early modern Malta. The monograph explores in some detail the emergence of a particular cult object and its impact on Malta's diverse communities between 1530 and 1798. The period is recognised as a seminal one for the formation of modern Malta. Equally, it was a period that was to see the archipelago emerging from the Middle Ages and carve a position of its own in the Mediterranean. All this occurred during one of Malta's most remarkable historical periods, an era that was marked first and foremost by the pan-European influence that only the Knights of St John were capable to infuse. [Excerpt from the Preface]