'Maltese' connection in restoration of oldest crib in history

The crib at the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome, originally produced by Arnolfo di Cambio, has been restored to its pristine state by the restorers led by Sante Guido who have been responsible for several works of art in Malta including St John's Co-Cathedral and the Manoel Theatre.

The restored crib was inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI during the past Advent.

The basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is traditionally associated to Pope Liberius (352-366) after the miraculous snowfall on the night of August 5, 358 in Rome and the subsequent message received through divine intervention by the Pope in his sleep whereby he was instructed to construct a church in honour of the Blessed Virgin on the spot where it had snowed. Around the mid-seventh century, during the papacy of Teodoro I, the basilica was dedicated to Santa Maria in Praesepio and the chapel of the crib, which was destined to house the holy relics brought over from Bethlehem, formed part of it.

Subsequently, in 1291, Arnolfo di Cambio was responsible for the refurbishment of this edifice, and given that it was impossible then for Christians to access the holy land, since it was conquered by the Arabs, this church of the crib assumed the role of the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem for the western Christians.

Unfortunately, biographical information on Arnolfo di Cambio is rather scarce though his contribution to the art of the early 13th century is on par with that of Giotto in painting and Dante in literature.

Arnolfo di Cambio was born in 1245 near Florence. He has been known for the past seven centuries principally for having been able to combine the old traditional Italian style of sculpture with the more recent gothic French idiom. He transformed the modelling of the human figure from the linear and articulated designs typical of the gothic style to a more solidly three-dimensional structure. He was not merely the sculptor for various popes, including Boniface VIII, for whom he produced a funeral monument at St Peter's Basilica, but he was also an acclaimed architect known for his Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence.

The Arnolfo crib consists of five blocks of white marble sculptured with the figures of Mary, Joseph, ox and mule as well as the three Magi. The height of the figures varies from one metre to 65 cm.

As confirmed by the recent restoration, the Tuscan master would have accomplished his sculptures only in the parts that are visible, having worked on the surfaces only up to a point visible to the human eye. The creation of these figures is controlled by the study of precise visual angles; their perception is therefore deformed and their appearance not so clearly defined when they are observed from a point of view which varies from the one decided by the artist.

The philological analysis of the elements that have survived and the analytical discussion of the procedure to adopt during the restoration process have eventually determined the setting of the statuary group and their original characteristics and positions.

The figure of St Joseph on the left hand side is sculptured in high relief. The solemn face is crowned by a cropped beard, the body is enclosed in a tunic and the shoulders are slightly curved with the hands crossed on a cane. This figure of Joseph has been worked out to be observed only partially and at an angle.

The removal of the ox and mule from the wall in the niche has revealed the manger which had until then not been visible. The profile vision is certainly that chosen by the artist, even though a diagonal one. This is prompted by the perfect angle of the connecting line between the two animals and complies entirely with the rules of perspective.

The most elderly among the Magi has copious hair falling on the priestly habit and is kneeling in adoration with back towards the spectator's view. The other two Magi are sculptured on a marble slab with a painted backdrop with vegetal swirls. Their viewpoint is clearly frontal and restoration has brought to light several original polychromatic fragments that have been recouped in the lower parts of the figures. All the figures were in fact originally totally painted and gilded.

However, the foremost discovery that has emerged during the restoration works regards above all the statue of Mary. The present statue was previously considered to be a work of the late sixth century which substituted the original. The work was attributed to sculptors who were involved in the production of the funereal monument of Pope Sixtus V. Nothing was known with regard to the original statue but neither did documents referring to its substitution seem to exist. The statue, which was often ignored in related studies as it was not considered contemporary to the other works, has now, thanks to the restoration job, regained absolute importance. In fact, the work undertaken has led to the discovery of some technical data that constitutes a great novelty with regard to studies on Arnolfo in the last decades.

This statue presents several irregularities which are explicable only if one considers that it has been resculptured in some parts while in others it shows drapery folds and a finish typical of the works of Arnolfo.

This masterpiece is therefore not to be attributed to Mannerist sculptors but to the Medieval Tuscan sculptor even though it may not seem so as a result of some "restoration" which altered faces, folds and volumes, remodelling them in a late 16th century style.

This in fact is shown by the contrast between several frontal folds and those on the back and, moreover, by the style of the rear folds so similar to other works of the Arnolfo such as the Magi themselves and other works of the Umbrian period.

Thanks to these recently unveiled innovations and the technical and formal characteristics of the surviving sculptures, it has been possible to present a revived re-composition of the crib in the museum of the basilica where the faithful are now able to witness this splendid sacra rappresentazione of the mystery of the incarnation of Christ.