A study on the deterioration phenomena of Marouflage paintings : the nave marouflage paintings by G. Briffa at the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Nadur, Gozo

Abstract

Attaching canvases to the interior of architectural surfaces for the purpose of decorating them, known as marouflage, goes back to the early twentieth century in the Maltese Islands. With its introduction dating to 1915 (attributed to Lazzaro Pisani 1854-1932), the marouflage technique became very popular and has been widely used for decorating Maltese and Gozitan Churches. Since then various marouflage paintings were reported to have suffered from severe deterioration, including the complete detachment of the canvas from the limestone support. The main aims of this study were to research the deterioration phenomena, sources and mechanisms of decay of marouflage paintings in the Maltese context. The marouflage paintings decorating the nave at the Church dedicated to the the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Nadur, Gozo were chosen to achieve the objectives of this study. These paintings were executed by Maltese artist Guzeppi Briffa (1901-1987) in 1956.