The decorative scheme and context of the ceiling at St. Paul’s Shipwreck Church, Valletta (1900-1906)

Abstract

The main aim behind this B.A. dissertation was to document the ceiling decoration of the Collegiate church of St Paul’s Shipwreck, Valletta. This extensive project was made possible through the very capable team of artists and craftsmen in the fields of gilding and sculpture who were appointed by Can. Dr Borg Olivier. This dissertation defines who the team were and what works they were responsible for, which was made possible through the study of previously unpublished documentation. The result of this ceiling decoration places St Paul’s Shipwreck as an important example of ecclesiastic decoration at the turn of the twentieth century. The decorative arts are currently being given their rightful significance through the extensive studies of Dr Mark Sagona and others. The artists involved in St Paul’s are amongst the most important up and coming individuals who worked in both secular and ecclesiastic decorative commissions. The ceiling decoration in St Paul’s Shipwreck has not previously been published in great detail and the only published works on the scheme discuss the fresco cycle by Attilio Palombi. The archives of the Collegiate Church of St Paul’s Shipwreck are in a poor state of conservation; however they contain several handwritten letters and telegrams that were sent by various individuals involved during the decorative commission. This new information in this dissertation has been mostly uncovered through the Libro Straordinario – Decorazzione e Pittura that was studied for this research. This document uncovered names of sculptors, architects and craftsmen who were previously unknown in the context of St Paul’s Shipwreck, some of which are given relevance for the first time in this dissertation. The documents also helped to decipher the mechanics of patronage and show how involved personal were with the ecclesiastic project, and who was treated with more respect than others. The procurator was significantly involved in this commission with an instance of bitter conflict recorded in detail. Can. Dr Borg Olivier gave importance to Italian influences and appointed several foreign personal in the project. Observing contemporaneous ecclesiastic commissions helped to draw a number of similarities and differences between their ceiling adornments, which in some cases provided direct influence. This dissertation also places St Paul’s in the context of the decorative arts and artists and sculptors’ oeuvre at the turn of the century. It also shows the recurring tendency of commissioning foreigners rather than locals, following the 19th Century mentality where anything Italian was given preference. The ceiling’s decorative scheme has proved to be a valuable subject and also a platform for further research. Although the documentation has proven to be the most valuable primary source for this dissertation, much has been lost especially with regards to preparatory sketches which have been lost or stolen and have not been found after many attempts of looking for them. The team of decorators are mentioned within a context of the decorative arts in Malta, and their roles are defined and their work correctly attributed.