Station of the Cross painting restored

An oil painting showing one of the 14 Stations of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) found at the sacristy of the Floriana parish church has been conserved through a sponsorship by Middlesea Insurance.

The painting, which was restored by Sabine Azzopardi, had a 10cm-long tear and extensive previous in-fills covering part of the original paint layer.

The clarity of the painting had suffered because of a varnish layer and various over-paintings.

The treatment included re-establishing the unity of the textile, mending the tear and re-lining the painting on canvas.

Six oil paintings on finely woven canvas at the sacristy remain in a poor state of conservation.

"The ravages of World War II and previous unprofessional interventions contributed to the deterioration," Ms Azzopardi said.

"Research and manufacturing techniques revealed the paintings could be attributed to Rocco Buhagiar (1723-1805) because a similar complete set is housed at the Żabbar Sanctuary Museum."