Philip Balzan, Joe P. Borg, Philip Sciortino (eds.), Statua Argentea. Luigi Fontana’s silver statue of Saint Philip in Żebbuġ. Malta, 2013. 237 pp

Żebbuġ’s magnificent silver processional statue of St Philip is unique in the world and the townspeople have rightly considered it as their pride and joy for the past 150 years.

It was, therefore, quite fitting when the Każin Banda San Filep AD 1851 last year took the initiative to mark this anniversary by a fine publication which gives the general background to the statue as well as a sociological, historical and art historical analysis of this artefact by some of Malta’s leading scholars and a couple of foreign experts as well.

Philip Sciortino, the president of the band club, gives a well-researched wide-ranging historical study of the cult of St Philip, with a particular focus on the events that led to the brave decision of the community to commission this statue, a decision it must have deemed necessary to establish its distinct identity as Żebbuġin.

The decision to commission a foreign artist, Luigi Fontana (1827-1908), assisted by Roman silversmiths, must have given rise to a heated controversy. The cost must have been considerable, but then Malta was passing through the boom years brought about by the presence of Allied forces because of the Crimean War. Żebbuġ, which was always one of wealthiest villages of the island, must have also profited considerably from the way that cotton prices shot up because of the lack of supply from America because of the Civil War.

Soon, many started to donate or pledge money, with a good number insisting that they wanted the statue to be made of silver. It was really an all-out effort, with even the poorer individuals digging deep into their pockets. Some people even raised chickens which were then sold to add to the money collected.

Philip Sciortino gives a well-researched wide-ranging historical study of the cult of St Philip

Sciortino gives short notes about many of the well-to-do donors. The information is a fascinating radiography of Żebbuġ in the mid-19th century. It is a contribution full of interesting details about the personages who were the driving force about this initiative, like the prime mover Dun Salv Trevisan, the local historian Dun Salv Ciappara, and Mgr Paolo Pullicino, who was one of the prime movers to give the commission to a foreign artist.

Sciortino places the commission in the context of the Risorgimento and explains the role of the Italian artist Tommaso Minardi, who was actually Pope Pius IX’s adviser on artistic matters, in the choice of his star student Fontana. This choice gave rise to heated controversies in Malta, not least because it saw a departure from the accepted Baroque aesthetics.

Another feature in Sciortino’s contribution is a fine biography of Fontana that also puts him in his artistic context. The account of the statue’s making, especially the beating of the silver sheets and the casting of some sections by the silversmith, is detailed and precise.

Fontana actually travelled to Malta with the statue to oversee its definitive assemblage; probably also to investigate possible future commissions. As things stood, this statue was fated to be the last major commission of its kind in the Eternal City.

Writing in English, Keith Sciberras discusses the long tradition of turning to Rome for artistic commissions that goes back to the time of the Order of St John, with one of the finest examples being Ciro Ferri’s magnificent Reliquary of St John the Baptist and Antinio Arrighi’s set of 15 silver statuettes for the high altar of St John’s.

Incidentally, one wonders why Sciberras keeps referring to the Mdina cathedral as being dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, when it is actually dedicated only to St Paul, and more specifically to his conversion, which feast is celebrated on January 25.

Art historian Marisa Calisti discusses Tommaso Minardi (1787-1871) and his school, as well as his Maltese pupils and followers. Minardi, who was highly praised by his master Canova, is one of the major figures of the Roman artistic milieu and his fame spread far and wide over the Catholic world, not least because he was one of Pius IX’s protégés.

Minardi also helped several Maltese artists especially in their periods of study in Rome and was instrumental in obtaining commissions for some of them. The list is quite long, but a few can be singled out, like Pietro Paolo Caruana, Giuseppe and Vincenzo Hyzler, Salvatore Busuttil, Tommaso Madiona, Carlo Cortis, Michele Bellanti, and Lazzaro Pisani.

Also writing in Italian, Giovanna Capitelli, an associate professor of history of art at the university of Calabria, further discusses the artistic links between the island and Rome in the 19th century, with particular reference to the role played by Fontana. As the author says, there was quite a vibrant relationship which gave rise to a number of important commissions.

Mark Sagona discusses the significance of the statue in the context of 19th-century art in Malta a work he describes as being “of fundamental importance for the knowledge study of this important but unfortunately rather sidelined period”.

And yet, it was quite a lively time for several local artists. Most of these were influenced by Minardi and other Roman artists, who made the most of many commissions that were coming their way from many of the parish and other churches of both islands.

Sagona also sees Fontana’s statue fitting “neatly within the development of Renaissance Revival attitudes in both Malta and the continent” and also discusses the work of art within the context of the development of processional statuary. Indeed, the statue came at a time when processional statues stopped being made of wood and papier-mâché began to take over, while some parishes turned abroad, particularly France, to commission their processional statues.

In a paper with several instances of sharp insight, Simon Mercieca discusses processional statues as political metaphors by tracing their origin and development over time and especially the change in the nature of processions, from votive to devotional ones, closely linked with particular parishes.

Processions received a boost during the British period, when such outdoor activities may have been seen as taking a dig at (or offering a form of fairly passive resistance directed at) the foreign ruler, especially with the rise of political awareness from the mid-19th century.

Mercieca puts the commission of the statue in this context in the parish of Żebbuġ, adding a wealth of information and detail.

Raymond Saliba’s contribution discusses the development of the iconography of St Philip, while Oliver Friggieri writes the concluding essay on Żebbuġ and the national soul.

A special word of appreciation should go to Joe P. Borg for his excellent photography, especially his monochrome studies, that give another dimension to the publication which is required reading for all those interested in local statuary and 19th-century art.

The statue itself has experienced notable deterioration during its stay and has recently been magnificently restored, a process which incidentally should also, in the near future, be suitably recorded in another publication.