Proceedings e report - Firenze University Press

ON 18TH- AND 19TH- CENTURY SACRISTY FURNITURE IN THE MALTESE ISLANDS: MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
macroscopically Larix decidua but microscopically no or very few biseriate bordered pits were
observed.
Fig. 11 - Sacristy of the Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Victoria Gozo (left),
Sacristy of the Parish Church of St Philip’s, Żebbuġ (centre and right)
Samples
40
30
20
10
0
Wood
Wood
analysis
analysis from
from
the
18th
18
and 19th Century
Sacristies in Malta and Gozo
th- and 19 th- Century
Sacristies in Malta and Gozo
Picea sp.
Larix
decidua
Picea sp. or
Larix
decidua
Pinus sp.
Juglans sp.
276
Castanea
sativa
Wood
Pseudotsuga
menziesii
Fig. 12 - 18 th- and 19 th- century sacristies – wood analysis [12]
Surprisingly enough, Abies sp. (fir) was very rarely observed. During the past 8 years the author
encountered several panel paintings of the same period made from this wood. No wood coming from
indigenous trees was observed and this indicates that even though, at the time, wood in Malta was very
expensive, it was mainly imported from abroad. In addition, this could have been the case since
deforestation had taken place centuries before and therefore, like today, there were very few trees for
furniture production. Little wood from angiosperm trees was found. This is not surprising since it is
more expensive, harder to work with and also less abundant, despite that there were pieces of furniture
completely constructed from Castanea sativa (chestnut).
Larix decidua was mostly popular for cupboard door construction. Comparing it with Picea sp., it was
most probably slightly more expensive and also harder to work, but it is more suitable to varnish. The
use of Picea sp. for door construction, like in the case of the eighteenth-century sacristy furniture at
the Church of St Publius and the eighteenth- and nineteenth- century sacristy furniture at St Helen’s
Parish Church, may have been due to the application of the graining technique requiring the wood
surface would not exposed (Fig. 4). Chairs, needing a delicate but strong construction were carried out
using Juglans sp. (walnut). As expected, drawer constructions were all done from Picea sp.
Wood from eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century pieces of furniture was compared. Samples
coming from the eighteenth-century represent 78% of all the samples. Therefore there might be a bias
in this sense when it comes to comparisons, but indications are that both Larix decidua and Picea sp.
remained popular even throughout the nineteenth century.
Abies sp.
Tilia sp.
Acer sp. Or
Prunus sp.