Two more Cremona Ta' Pinu paintings restored

Restoration of Emvin Cremona's 20 paintings at Ta' Pinu sanctuary has reach an advanced stage.

The project is being supported by Bank of Valletta through a sponsorship of Lm10,000.

The works, completed between 1954 and 1962, were hung in the sanctuary until they were sent to Italy for the production of the mosaics which adorn Ta' Pinu.

On their return, they were stored in a closet and forgotten.

Once the restoration process is completed, the paintings will be displayed in the sacristy to be enjoyed by visitors.

The restoration on the paintings is being carried out by Gozitan restorer Godwin Cutajar.

Work started in October 2005 and to date, nine paintings have been completed, with the rest expected to be finished in 2008.

The two most recently restored works, The Immaculate Conception and The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, have been featured in the latest edition of the bi-monthly publication Madonna ta' Pinu where the restorer refers to the process and the state in which the paintings were found.

The two paintings, both dated and signed by the artist, were paid for by Frangisk Mercieca. During the restoration of The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, some interesting finds were made pertaining to the way the artist painted a number of details.

These pentimenti include an alteration to the priest's tunic, which was originally going to be longer, and changes to the plate in the foreground.

In The Immaculate Conception, the flowers were added at a later stage when the background had already been completed. In fact, the artist's sketch work is still clearly visible.

"Notwithstanding the fact that the canvas has lost most of its elasticity, resulting in severe paint loss, and some loss of paint due to the fact that the works were rolled (right), the paintings were found to be in a relatively good state of conservation and have now been successfully restored," explained Mr Cutajar.

"Minor damage and minute holes in the canvas have been re-filled with thermoplastic adhesive that is compatible with the original material.

"Although the top part of the paintings are in a semi-circular shape, they have been stretched again on rectangular frames to avoid any unnecessary loss of canvas," he said.

"The project, we hope, will have a significant impact on Gozo's cultural legacy and the country's artistic heritage," the bank's CEO Tonio Depasquale said.