A study of the polychrome wooden statue of St John the Baptist located at Dingli parish church : (Presumably brought to Malta by the Knights of St John)

Abstract

This study involves a medieval wooden polychrome sculpture of St John the Baptist, found in the sacristy of Dingli parish church. The study allowed an in-depth understanding of its manufacturing technique and constituent materials, through documentation and a number of diagnostic investigations. It is presumed that the statue was brought to Malta by the Knights of St John in the 16th century and may have an association with the Gran Carracca Sant' Anna possibly being one of the cult statues inside the ship. The statue is covered with a dark brown coating which concealed its original polychromy and gilding. A literature review relating to the materials and techniques of medieval polychrome wooden sculpture was carried out in order to gain background knowledge in preparation for the technical study of the statue and to support the interpretation of the results obtained. A systematic methodology involved close observations of the statue aided by visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared radiation and X-ray radiography. Samples were taken in order to study the stratigraphy of different areas of the statue and to characterize its constituent materials. The analytical methods used were Binocular Microscopy, Optical Microscopy, elemental SEM-EDS analysis and histochemical tests. An environmental monitoring campaign was also carried out inside the sacristy in order to monitor relative humidity and temperature fluctuations. It was found that the statue is most probably composed of eight parts with the main body carved from a walnut wood trunk. The construction technique conforms to the medieval approach to wood carving. The original polychromy consisted of vermillion/cinnabar, ochre, minium, hematite, copper green, bone white and lead white. From the number of samples analysed, it was also possible, to a certain extent, visualize the statue's original appearance. The study enabled an understanding of the statue's artistic and technical qualities and placed the statue in the context of the history and techniques of the medieval period. It is believed that this study will provide valuable information to art historical studies on the statue and most of all be of invaluable help when establishing a future suitable conservation methodology.