15th century Mdina choir stalls restoration project
Objective
The Mdina Metropolitan Museum houses several wood elements pertaining to the 15th century choir stalls of St.Paul’s Cathedral. The choir stalls were functional up till 1876, after which they had been dismantled and replaced by a newer choir that is still in use today. During the manufacturing of the new choir, some of the elements of the old choir had been integrated in the new one, the other remaining elements had been scattered around the halls of the cathedral and museum.
Recently the scattered elements have been recuperated and are stored in the reserve collection of the museum. These elements are currently in precarious condition and require urgent conservation treatment.
The objective of the project is to study, conserve and restore these elements and to re-assamble a section of the old choir following the original scheme of the choir. The reconstruction shall be subdivided in two sections, one containing 3 stalls and integrating two ending sides and the other section being the Dignitary’s stall. The two sections are to be exhibited separate due to the original plan of the choir being at an angle. The reassembled section is to be exhibited in the Mdina Metropolitan Museum as an exhibit of the medieval masterpiece.
The conservation and restoration consist in the care of the artistic value of the work of art and of its constituent materials.
Inventory entries for all newly recuperated elements. A graphical and photographical mapping of the state of preservation of the elements that will be integrated in the reconstruction will be produced prior to the commencement of the interventions in order to document all the intervention treatment.
