Historic Holy Week statues on display

Heritage Malta's national exhibition of Holy Week statues and statuettes at the Inquisitor's Palace, in Vittoriosa, has already attracted hundreds of visitors.

Different from other Holy Week exhibitions currently displayed all over the Maltese islands, Heritage Malta's exhibition is the first national exhibition of the kind and it prides itself on a number of figures that are part of the national collection and that have never been exhibited before.

Among the latter are two full-scale statues representing the Ecce Homo and the Dead Christ. These are perhaps among the oldest surviving versions of Good Friday processional statuary to date.

The Ecce Homo, made out of wood, was most likely produced in a southern Italian workshop. The Dead Christ is an 18th century papier-mâché statue and was probably carried in procession within a typical urn which is not however known to have survived.

Most of the exhibits from the national collection stand out on grounds of scale, being larger than conventional replicas acquired by collectors and connoisseurs but not large enough to function as a typical processional imagery. Examples are a 20th century version of the Virgin of Sorrows in papier-mâché and two early 18th century wood versions of Roman Soldiers, possibly being surviving components from a tripartite representation of the Resurrection of Christ.

Although wax was widely used in Malta during the 19th and early 20th century, surviving versions are not as widely accessible. A particular wax piece on exhibit is a representation of The Last Supper, clearly inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's popular version exhibited in Milan. Another wax-sculpture is a 17th century Face of Christ.

Two priceless 17th century pieces of art made of wood and which also form part of the reserve collection are a Dead Christ carved in wood and a Crucifix.

A definite highlight of this exhibition is Alessandro Algardi's bronze version of Christ Carrying The Cross. Algardi's sculpture, which is of international importance, is usually displayed at the National Museum of Fine Arts and this is the first time that it has been brought out to be displayed in another context.

The exhibition will remain open until April 19 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. with special opening hours on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.), Maundy Thursday (9 a.m. to 11 p.m.) and Good Friday (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.).