The Baroque choir of the Carmelite church in Mdina is back to its original splendour following a two-year conservation programme that included the restoration of an impressive altar painting by Maltese painter Stefano Erardi.
"Stefano Erardi's painting, the Annunciation of the Virgin, is one of the most impressive late 17th century paintings of the late Baroque, painted in a tradition that clearly show Erardi's classicist stylistic character," project director Keith Sciberras explained.
Work involved the processes of cleaning, consolidation, presentation, analyses and documentation involved in scientific conservation practice. "The work's painterly intensity and the artist's remarkable freshness emerged with outstanding results," he added.
Dr Sciberras explained that the works - that were complete just in time for Our Lady of Mount Carmel's feast celebrated in Mdina last week - also included the restoration of a large gilt wood carved reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) designed by Pietro Paolo Troisi.
Work on the reredos was a complicated affair because the entire scheme was infested with woodworm and was in imminent danger of structural collapse. However, the restoration was completed successfully.
Work on two lateral paintings by Italian artist Felice da Balsano, and on architectural decoration, gilding and marble cladding was also undertaken by the Restoration and Conservation Co-operative (ReCoop) that also completed the conservation and restoration of the large centralised dome of the church, following a first phase executed by the late Chris Agius.
Painted by the Italian artist Cacciaguerra in the early 20th century, the dome's scheme represents the Virgin of Carmel in glory and was executed in an oil on plaster technique with stucco reliefs, Dr Sciberras said.
On-site work was coordinated by conservator Paul Muscat while lab work was coordinated by Roderick Abela and Agatha Grima. Art-historical research was undertaken by the University of Malta's Department of History of Art with the works falling directly under the Carmelite Provincial's Fr Alexander Vella.