Proceedings e report - Firenze University Press

WOOD SCIENCE FOR CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
Fig. 13 – Sacristy furniture with graining technique: Parish Church of St Paul, Rabat Malta (left), Parish Church
of St Helen, Birkirkara (centre) and detail from sacristy furniture at the Church of St Publius, Rabat Malta
(right)
2.3. Surface coatings, adhesives and metal furniture fittings
Very little can be said on these materials since little literature is available and unfortunately very little
scientific research has been carried out in this regard. The use of stains was mentioned by Galea-Naudi
stating that churches and other country houses made use of red deal which they stained in order to
make it appear like chestnut. [13] On the other hand, senior restorers state that in older times the main
type of surface coating was linseed oil often mixed with earth colours like burnt sienna. The author
insists that in cases where more than a single type of wood was used, like in the case of the eighteenthsacristy
furniture at the Conventual Church of St John’s, Valletta where there was a mixture of the
dark-coloured Larix decidua, Pinus sp. and the pale-coloured Picea sp., staining was inevitable. Apart
from the application of a graining technique, some antique furniture used to be applied with linseed oil
or beeswax. Such polishing would have been continued until the desired lustre was achieved. [14] The
use of resin varnish may have been imported like other materials.
The most commonly used type of glue, probably also imported, was the hot animal skin/bone glue
which has been used for thousands of years. This glue, which sets on cooling and evaporation of
water, was extensively used till the twentieth century until the development of synthetic glues, which
then dominated the market. Furniture metal fittings, like hinges, locks, escutcheon plates, keys, bolts
and forged nails were locally manufactured but importation was also probable. One characteristic of
Maltese furniture is the iron locks which were placed and nailed rather than inserted into the wood.
[15] Two types of locks were available, those fixed directly to the back and those recessed at the back
mostly for drawer or lid construction. Each lock had its particular key. Metal was probably imported in
sheets of different thicknesses. Unfortunately a considerable number of these locks have been
replaced.
2.4. Development of Maltese furniture
Very little or no furniture survived in Malta from the Middle Ages to the sixteenth century. [16] On
the arrival of the Knights of the Order of St John in 1530 there started to be upgrading, embellishing
and reconstruction of existing buildings and early auberges, churches and dwellings. Records often
mention lists which include furniture which unfortunately rarely describes the pieces. [17] Until the
beginning of the eighteenth century, the poorer Maltese families had almost no furniture in their
homes. [18]
The element of decoration in Maltese furniture was not expressed before the seventeenth century. [19]
During this period, pieces of furniture were mainly constructed from Juglans sp. (walnut), referred to
as noce and Castanea sp. (chestnut), referred to as castanea. Fagus sp. (beech wood), referred to as
fago and Diospyros spp. (ebony), were also in use. The latter was also used in exceptionally high
decorations and was imported from outside Europe. [20] Other types of wood were often disguised to
look like ebony while cheaper furniture was produced from deal. [21] This wood was considered as
being the ordinary type, perhaps due to its abundance. It was not before the British occupation in
Malta that mahogany or satinwood started to be imported.
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