18th century furniture at the parish church of Tarxien

Abstract

The Parish Church of Tarxien is one of the oldest found on the Maltese islands. It is adorned by several works of art which are important not only for the parishioners, but also for the local artistic scenario. Raised to a Parish Church in 1592, several works of art were commissioned throughout the years, especially during the eighteenth century. Several paintings by the Maltese painter Francesco Żahra, liturgical silverware and pieces of opulent furniture were some of the most important commissions. The dissertation focuses on the liturgical furniture which was commissioned through the century which is among the finest among furniture of Baroque manner. The Choir stalls, the Baptismal Font and the Pulpit were discussed and compared with other eighteenth century furniture found in several churches around the island. One of the main aims was to raise awareness on these masterpieces found scattered in local churches and to research and discover who the artisans of such furniture were. Unfortunately, some research yield no positive results for the fact that some documents were not preserved and got lost through the course of time. Some of the discussed pieces were attributed to other artefacts backed by documentary sources, which could open up a window for more research and work on this particular subject. Another important aim was to analyse different and particular decorative elements which embellish eighteenth century furniture, the influence derived from domestic furniture and other characteristics found on foreign ecclesiastical and secular furniture. This resulted in an array of vast decorative elements, which make every piece of furniture analysed, particular for its own design and embellishments. These decorative elements show the difference between High Baroque and Late Baroque influence which characterizes ecclesiastical furniture. One of the most important findings was the fine design of orange inlaid wood, embellishing the entire timber hood of the Tarxien Baptismal font, which is covered under layers of stains. This makes the Baroque font more important for the legacy of eighteenth century ecclesiastical furniture. Documentary sources found at the archives of the Parish Church of Tarxien unveil details about the three pieces of furniture discussed in the dissertation. Several documents show some instalments paid to the master carpenter, while others show some disguise between the Clergy and the carpenter for not finishing the commission on time. These kinds of documents should make the dissertation more interesting. The same documents substantiate the culmination of artisans around the Grand harbour which was an open gate for foreign artistic influence. This was further discussed through examples of ecclesiastical furniture found around Europe, especially in the nearby island of Sicily. This was the first coherent attempt to study in detail these works within the context of eighteenth century Maltese ecclesiastical carpentry. There is a lot more to study and research within this particular legacy as this dissertation was just the start. However, this first attempt should be a good start for others who would study this legacy of ecclesiastical masterpieces.