[attach id=512836 size="medium"]Tapestries currently undergoing restoration.[/attach]
Back in 2006, on the initiative of the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation, the tapestries restoration project was launched. The majority of the tapestries have now been restored in the past 10 years and, recently, fives smaller ones where delivered back to Malta as their restoration was finalised. Another two large tapestries are currently in Belgium at the de Wit Laboratories for restoration.
The collection of 29 tapestries is the largest one of its kind in the world. Originally, it was ordered by the Aragonese Grand Master Ramon Perellos y Rocaful as a fitting present to the Conventual Church of the Order on his accession as Grandmaster of the Order in 1697. The atelier Judocus de Vos originally wove these tapestries between 1697 and 1700. He was the court weaver of Louis XIV of France and utilised various designs of famous artists, including Peter Paul Rubens.
The collection consists of 14 tapestries approximately 6.6 m x 6 m and 14 smaller ones. The tapestries were woven in silk and woollen yarn and they were designed to be suspended along the main naive of the church on special occasions such as Easter Sunday or the feast of St John the Baptist.
The 14 large tapestries are divided into two sets: seven represent the fundamental divine truths of the Catholic faith and the other seven portray episodes from Christ’s life. Thirteen of them are based on the designs by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 -1665) and The Last Supper is derived from the design of Nicolas Poussin (1593-1665).
The collection of 29 tapestries is the largest one of its kind in the world
The 14 small tapestries represent the Virgin Mary, Christ the Saviour and the Apostles while the remaining one is of the Grand Master himself which used to be hung above the main entrance.
In 2001, the St John’s Co-Cathedral Foundation was set up in order to conserve and restore this baroque church. It was during this time that an entrance fee was introduced to visit so as to fund the upkeep and restoration process.
The foundation immediately embarked on a 10-year restoration project costing an estimated €1 million at the De Wit Laboratories in Belgium.
Most of the damage caused is due to exposure to light and the breaking of seams due to the fact that they were rolled and unrolled repeatedly.
The restoration process begins by first vacuuming out all the dust. The tapestry is then placed on a suction table and washed by aerosol suction so there is no chance of it moving, shrinking or losing its shape. A mist wash is then applied so that the water is sucked out and there’s no chance of shrinking or colours running. The final stage of the restoration is to stitch any open seams and the original silk conserved.
The extension of the museum currently underway will house this collection of tapestries all together in the Tapestries Chamber, within an ideal environment using adequate lighting, climate control and reading areas. With the restoration process nearing its end this majestic collection of 29 tapestries will hang once again to be viewed and studied in its entirety.