Eugene F. Montanaro PIETRO PAOLO AZZOPARDI — A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR T h e lack of a comprehens ive and coheren t His to ry of Mal tese Ar t h a s

tended t o obscure t he au thor sh ip of m a n y valid con t r ibu t ions to our sculptura l her i tage . T h e w o r k s of P ie t ro Paolo Azzopard i . a gifted 19th-century sculptor , h a v e no t been spared from this cruel fate . Except for a brief note in the Append ix to P.P. Cas tagna ' s His to ry of Mal ta , Azzopardi has long been re lega ted to t he rea lms of oblivion.

In th is shor t t a lk I p ropose t o deal briefly wi th Azzopardi ' s life and works .

LIKE

Smal l Boy in Valletta

Pietro Paolo Azzopardi w a s born on 20 April 1791, and died on 24 October 1875 — a long life of 84 yea r s .

The younges t of t h ree children born to Antonio Azzopardi and his wife Mar ia nee Camllleri , he w a s bapt ized in the Church of St Paul Sh ipwrecked , Val let ta , on 21 April 1791, and chr i s tened Salvator , Joseph , Pe t rus , Pau lus , J e remias in t h a t order . (1) In adul thood, however , he invar iab ly qualified himself Maes t ro Scultare Pietro Paolo Azzopardi. (2)

Lit t le is k n o w n about his p a r e n t s . His father , whose occupat ion r ema ins obscure , hailed from Cospicua, while h is mo the r ' s family resided in t he suburb of Flor iana. (3) Pie t ro Paolo ' s pa ren t s w e r e marr ied in the Church of St Publ ius , Flor iana, which t h e n fell u n d e r t he jur isdict ion of t he Val le t ta Parish of St Paul . (4)

P ie t ro Paolo cer ta in ly received some form of e l emen ta ry schooling, pos­sibly in Val le t ta . L i te racy w a s no t widespread a m o n g his con tempora r i e s — cer ta in ly not a m o n g his fellow craf tsmen — and Azzopardi seems t o have

1. St. Paul Shipwrecked Parish Archives (S.P.S.P.4.), Liber Bapt.. XIII, 237v. 2. Pietro Paolo Rave three different spellings for his surname: Azoppardi, Azzoppardi

and Azzopardi. For the sake of convenience I have adopted the modern rendering of the surname, Azzopardi

3. S.P.S.P.A.. Liber STatr., IX, 239r. 4. Ibid

62 EUGENE F. MONTANARO

been ve ry proud to append h is s igna tu re to as m a n y d o c u m e n t s as possible. (5)

T h e yea r s of Azzopard i ' s y o u t h s a w the expulsion from Mal ta of t he Knights of St. John, t he Mal tese insurrec t ion aga ins t the French and t he gradual bu t decis ive consol idat ion of t he Brit ish admin i s t ra t ion in our Is lands . The Mal tese Islands were a l so visi ted by plague in 1813 and a cholera epidemic in 1837. T h e profound poi. t ical changes and social upheava ls of Azzopardi ' s l ifetime were probably as fundamenta l and as al l-pervasive as those exper ienced wi th in a comparab le span of t ime in o u r own period.

Ye t even th is w a s no t al l . An ton io Azzopardi , Pie t ro Paolo ' s fa ther , d ied in hospi ta l in Va l le t t a on 27 July 1808. (6) P .e t ro Paolo w a s then only 17 yea r s of age. Evident ly he had a l ready made up h is mind to become a sculptor; his first da teab le w o r k is a s t a tue of the Redeemer , carved in s tone in 1808. (7) And it would appea r t h a t the early loss of his fa ther and a series of family t raged ies mere ly had the effect of s t r eng then ing his de te rmina t ion t o surv ive and succeed in his craft agains t ail odds.

First Marriage On 28 October 1817 Azzopardi mar r i ed Giovanna Rosa Camilleri ; t h e e n t r y

of his mar r i age in t he regis ter of t he par ish church of C o s p x u a records t he fact t h a t he w a s t h e n a par . sh ioner of t h a t s ame t own . (8) Ye t t he re is evidence to show tha t , by 1805, Pie t ro Paolo and his pa ren t s had a l ready moved house from Val le t ta to Cospicua. In fact, the S t a t u s Antmarum (1805) for Cospicua lists the Azzopardi family and gives a vague indicat ion of the family 's address

Quar t ie re 25, Casa J, neila strada in cui si notano vagabondi. (9) T h e s inis ter al lusion to vagabonds pe rhaps sugges t s tha t t he scu lp tor ' s pa ren t s had fallen on hard t imes . It i s possible t h a t the Azzopard i family m a y have moved ou t of Val le t ta somet ime dur ing t he Mal tese b lockade of t he French gar r i son in that ci ty. A t any ra te , it is cer ta in tha t Azzopard i opened his first w o r k s h o p in Cospicua , and t h a t h is ear ly scu lp tures we re executed in t h a t t own .

Giovanna Rosa came from a family of t r a d e r s wi th landed p rope r ty in

5. Hit signature appears on three contracts, on a Will, on the electoral register of the Corpo delle Belle Arti del Disegno (1836). and on one of his sculptures. No doubt, it appears also on some of his other sculptures; local carvers discreetly concealed their name in the carving itself, and unless one is aware ol this one may miss it altogether I For Vincenxo Dimech's signature on his statue of Si PrtWiuj, tee O. Frig-gieri, Il-Furjana, 1978, 4, p. 2.

6. Porto Salvo Parish Archives (P.S.P.A.). Liber Mart., 1805 - 1830. 138r. 7. P.P. Castagna, Us Storia Ta Malta BU Giejjer Tahha, 111, 1890, p. 203. 8. Cospicua Parish Archives {C.P.A.), Uber Mate., 9, p . 12 9. Archiepiscopal Archives, Floriana; Status Ammarum, Cospicua, 1805, p. n. n.

A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR 03 Zabba r and Qrendi . (10) She bore her husband six chi ldren, bu t on ly th ree survived the i r pa ren t s : Sa lva tore , born in 1824; Mar ia Conce t ta , born in 1826; and Giuseppe, born in 1830.(11)

Financially, t he first yea r s of Azzopard i ' s mar r i age were far from rosy. His first impor tan t commiss ion did not a r r ive before 1828, w h e n the Cospicua Confra tern i ty of t he Holy Rosary commiss ioned him to carve a s t a t u e of t he Virgin. (12) Meanwhi le , Azzopard i had to con ten t himself wi th carv ing s tone effigies of sa in t s for s t ree t shr ines or o the rwise res tor ing or comple t ing s t a tues carved by es tabl ished scu lp tors . (13) Pove r ty and somet imes ac tua l w a n t mus t have been Azzopardi ' s lot du r ing t h e s e ear ly yea r s of h is career .

T h e t ide did turn for Azzopard i , bu t not before he suffered a severe blow of misfor tune . On 22 December 1833 his wife Giovanna Rosa died in chi ldbir th a t the ear ly age of 37, and t he newborn infant died soon after bap t i sm. (14) Piet ro Paolo w a s passing th rough a difficult t ime. W i t h th ree children to look af ter — the eldest 9 and t he younges t bare ly 3 — it is ha rd ly surpr i s ing tha t Azzopardi should before long be on t he look-out for a second wife.

Busy Years (1838 — 1848)

His choice fell on An ton i a At ta rd , whom he marr ied on 5 May 1836 in the Par ish C h u r c h of Po r to Salvo, Val le t ta . (15) The re were no children from th is second mar r i age . The union w a s apparen t ly a successful one and appea r s to have afforded Azzopardi t he necessary peace of mind to concen t r a t e on his scu lp tures . Between 1838 and 1848 he carved no less t h a n seven pro­cessional images .

It s ays much for Azzopardi tha t , desp i t e h is m a n y se tbacks , he w a s no recluse. He appea r s t o have been sincerely in teres ted in t he ar t i s t ic life of his Island home. He belonged t o t h e Corpo delle Belle Arti del Disegno, and

10. Giovanna E O M ' I share of her family's estate eventually devolved on her three children — see Acts Notary Gregorio Fiorini, 7/6/1869, 1023r., and 10/9/1875, 1373r.

11. C.P.A., Liber Bapt.; 13, p. 161; 13, p. 221; 14, p. 24. Three of the sculptor's six children, namely Maria Giuseppina, Maria Franceses and Vincenio, died in infancy. Ail six children were born in Cospicua

12. P.P. Castagna. 0p. cat., p . 205. It is a pity that the Confraternity's record, for this period were lost during World War II.

13. See below Note 36 and 37. 14. C.P.A., Liber Mart., 10 ,p. 50. 15. P-S.PM., Uber Mslr., 1831 - 1836, 102r.

04 EUGENE F. MONTANARO

in 1836 w a s one of the s ignator ies for t he e lect ion of Michele Cachia and P ie t ro Paolo Ca ruana to represen t t h a t body in the na t iona l a s sembly on t he occasion of the appo in tmen t of a Royal Commiss ion t o inquire into the affairs of Mal ta . (16)

It is a p i ty tha t w e have n o c o n t e m p o r a r y descr ip t ion or identif iable port­rait of Azzopardi . His s igna ture a p p e a r s on five original d o c u m e n t s ranging in d a t e be tween 1838 and 1862. All revea l a bold, s t eady hand . Azzopard i w a s cer ta inly proud of h is profession — the appel la t ive m a e s t r o scui tore or plainly scui tore a lways accompanies his s igna ture .

R e t u r n to Val le t ta

A pr ivate wr i t ing d a t e d 1 July 1855 shows t h a t a t t h a t s ame da t e Azzoparxii w a s a res iden t of Val le t ta . (17) And in November 1857 a panel of t h ree a r t i s t s (artisti periti) v is i ted his home, s i tua ted a t No 7 S t rada Ponen te , Val let ta , to repor t on o n e of h is s t a tues , which had become the subject of a hea ted dispute: Per eseguire dove rosamen te il commessoc l incarico, esaminamma come richiede Varte, la statua in questione nella casa dell'Attore Pietro Paolo Azzoppard i situata nella Vallet ta, Strada Ponente No 7. (18) It w a s a l so from th is address t h a t t he s t a t u e of t he Bambino, comple ted by Azzopardi in 1853, w a s conveyed to t he Carmel i te Church in Val let ta , to be solemnly inaugura ted by Bishop Publius Sant . (19) Some t ime after his second mar r iage , therefore , Azzopardi had t ransfer red his res idence t o his na t ive c i ty of Val le t ta , bu t this change of address m u s t have occurred after 1841. (20) It is also clear t h a t h is res idence w a s in fact a casa bot tega .

Last Will and Testament

T h e prac t ice of his craft does no t seem to have b rought Azzopardi any great o r regular income. Old age in par t icular , which forced him t o r educe an ac t iv i ty in which physical s t r eng th played an impor t an t par t , left him in financial emba r r a s smen t , if not in pover ty .

Th i s s t a t e of affairs c lear ly emerges from the Wil l which Piet ro Paolo

16. A. Ganado, The First Lithographs Produced in Malta, infra, p. 55 17. Process Appell Cwili, 8A/1858, 4r. 18. Ibid., 20v. 19. L'Ordine, 16/9/1853, p. 4160. 20. A deed published by Notary Calcedonio Battajille on 18/4/1841 shows that at that

same date Azzopardi was a resident ol Cospicua.

A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR

m a d e joint ly wi th his wife, Antonia , on 30 Sep tember 1862. T h e t e s t a to r s appoin ted the i r son Giuseppe as t he i r sole universa l heir, while the i r o ther t w o chi ldren, Salvatore and Maria Concet ta , w e r e t he pr incipal beneficiaries under t he Wil l . However , t he t e s t a to r s made it clear t h a t Giuseppe w a s re­ceiving preferent ial t r e a t m e n t in v iew of t h e financial ass i s tance which he had afforded his pa ren t s dur ing the i r old age. And it is express ly s ta ted in t h e Will tha t in t he absence of such ass i s tance t he t e s t a to r s would h a v e been obliged to sell thei r belongings in o rder t o p rocure their l ivelihood:

. . .d ich ia rando essi Tes ta to r ! che in di fe t to del le sudde t te s o w e n -zioni sa rebbero s ta t i cos t re t t i di vende re ie loro sos tanze , e che m e d i a n t e tali s o w e n z i o n i essi Tes ta to r i hanno po tu to fin oggi con-se rva re i loro beni . (21)

This m a k e s sad reading. Ye t the reasons for t he tes ta tors" par t ia l i ty in favour of Giuseppe m a y have been more complex t h a n those s ta ted in the Will. It is wor thwhi l e t o recall t h a t Anton ia w a s t he s tep-mother of Pie t ro Paolo 's t h ree children. Al though t h e r e is n o d i rec t ev idence for it, it is poss ible tha t her re la t ionships wi th Sa lva tore and Mar ia Conce t t a we re not easy. Moreover , Giuseppe resided in Val let ta , (22) in close proximi ty to his pa ren t s , whi le his b ro ther and s is ter resided in Cospicua; (23) he w a s therefore in a be t t e r posi t ion to r ende r ass i s tance to t h e t e s t a to r s .

Be tha t as it may , t he Will w a s cer ta in ly t imely. Anton ia Azzopard i died on 13 Feb rua ry 1864 a t No 7 S t r ada Ponente , Val let ta , and w a s buried in t he Church of St M a r y of Jesus , a l so in Val le t ta . (24) P ie t ro Paolo t hus be­came a w idower for a second t ime.

D u s k

In 1865 Azzopardi comple ted his las t carv ing — a s t a t u e of St Michael. (25) He then ret ired, probably wi th cons iderable relief, to enjoy a well mer i ted res t .

His name figures again in t he regis ter of bap t i sms k e p t a t t h e Par ish

21. Acts Notary Giuseppe Antonio Parodi, 30/9/1862, 4205r. 22. Acts Notary Gregorio Fiorini, 6/6/1869, 1023r. 23. Ibid. Pietro Paolo's children were properly provided for: they inherited a consider­

able part of the estate of Catarina Pace, a wealthy cousin of their mother, consist­ing of various immovables in Cospicua and elsewhere — see Acts Notary Ottone Dedoraenico 17/2/1S80. 173r. We cannot but feeli sorry for the fact that Giovanna Rosa's early death deprived Pietro Paolo from benefitting from her family's con­siderable wealth.

24. Act of Death 457/1864. 25. P .P . Castagna, op. cit., p . 206.

60 EUGENE F. MONT AN AR O

Church of Por to Salvo, Val le t ta — he w a s a godfa ther to Giuseppe 's daugh te r , Giovanna Rosa, w h o w a s chr i s tened on 7 Augus t 1870. (26) W e can only hope t h a t t h i s h a p p y e v e n t did someth ing t o br ighten t h e las t lonely yea r s of his life.

A shor t while after , h e w a s seized wi th a ser ious ma lady — cerebr i te c ronica (27) — and took u p res idence wi th h is son, Giuseppe, at No 123 S t rada Form, Val le t ta . H e lived on a t this addres s unti l 24 October 1875, w h e n he died a t t h e age of 84. (28)

H e w a s buried in Tarx ien Par ish Church in a grave which bore t he number 72. (29) Ye t t he en t ry for h is burial in t he Tarxien Par ish reg i s te r also s t a t e s t h a t t he Azzopardi family grave-s i te bore t he n u m b e r 9, (30) and it is therefore l ikely t h a t his r ema ins were l a te r t r anspor ted to t he l a t t e r g rave in t he s ame par ish church.

Azzopard i ' s children did no t t a k e u p the i r fa ther ' s craf t . Giuseppe be­came a successful m e r c h a n t bu t died sudden ly in 1886, (31) whi le Mar ia Con­c e t t a died a sp ins ter . Salvatore had a ba rber ' s shop in Sengiea. W i t h h is dea th in 1887 (32) t h e d i rec t male line became ext inct . (33)

It is evident from the foregoing tha t Azzopard i ' s biographical essent ia ls have t o be ex t rac ted from the parish archives , var ious notar ia l deeds and, following 1861, from the Publ ic Regis t ry . T h e mater ia l from these sources enables u s t o recons t ruc t Azzopardi ' s personal h is tory , not w i thou t ser ious gaps in t he th read of t he na r r a t ive , bu t wi th a credibi l i ty g rea te r t h a n in m a n y b iographies of Mal tese sculp tors .

26. P.S.P.A., Uber Ba.pl.. 1867 - 1871, 351v. 27. Azzopardi's Act of Death states categorically that this malady caused hia death

(2633/1874). 28. P.SJ'iA;, Uber Mart., 1874 - 18BO, 116i. 29. Tarxien Parish Archives, Uber Defimc., VII, pp. 92 - 93. 30 Ibid. 31. Act of Death 3328/1886. It i3 interesting to note that Giuseppe traded under the

firm-name G. di P.P. Azzopardi. In terms of an elaborate Will published by Notary Odoardo Pellegrini Petit on 26/11/1886, he bequeathed his business to his two daughters, Maria Carmela and Giovanna Rosa.

32. Act of Death 1708/1887. Salvatore married Maria Anna Schembri in Sengiea on 4/5/1874, but died childless.

33. Giuseppe left no male issue; his daughter Maria Carmela married Enrico Psaila in Birkirkara on 28/10/1902, while h i s other daughter, Giovanna Rosa, died a spinster.

A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR 67 W O R K S

Background

P ie t ro Paolo Azzopard i w a s essent ia l ly a wood carver . He belonged t o a smal l bu t locally impor tan t body of craf tsmen w h o sculpted and coloured devot ional effigies des t ined t o b e car r ied in rel igious process ions th rough the s t ree ts , and he w a s one of t he bes t of thei r number .

Despi te t h e g radua l emergence of a r t i s ans resor t ing exclusively t o the ca r t apes t a technique , the more labor ious and expensive craft of f igure-carving in wood w a s to cont inue to hold i ts o w n for the be t t e r pa r t of the 19th cen tury . Azzopardi and h is ilk we re a lmost all bu t t he las t in a long line of nat ive-born sculptors w h o chiselled their s t a tues d i rec t from the wood from which t h e y were made . W o r k i n g in th is w a y "d i rec t c a r v e r s " r a t h e r than as model­lers , t h e y produced a gal lery of sacred images which today cons t i t u t e t he g rea t e r pa r t of our sculptura l he r i t age in wood.

Appren t icesh ip

A period of format ion is essent ial for eve ry ar t i s t . A brief note in Cas tagna s t a t e s tha t Azzopard i w a s a pupil of Mar iano Gerada and 'a scu lp to r by a p p o i n t m e n t t o King Ferd inand II'; (34) un fo r tuna te ly no fur ther d o c u m e n t a r y evidence has as ye t come t o light on these ear ly events in Azzopard i ' s life. (35) Clearly, however , he had an o rd ina ry w o r k s h o p t ra in ing and it m u s t have been Gerada w h o t a u g h t him the e lements of figure scu lp ture .

Ear ly Works (J808 — 1825)

Azzopard i s t a r t ed life as a s tone carver . T h e w o r k s a t t r ibu ted t o these ear ly yea r s a r e t h e l imes tone effigy of the Redeemer in t he Ghaxaq Chapel of Sarctu Kn's tu , and ano the r l imes tone effigy represen t ing S t Ca the r ine in a s t ree t shr ine a t Zurr ieq. (36) Azzopard i is also credi ted w i t h t he complet ion of

34. P.P. Castagna, op. cit., p . 205. Castagna wrote a popular history which iacks the apparatus of modern scholarship; his information on the early Maltese sculptors is often unreliable. However, he was an eye-witneBs to the execution of many of Azzo­pardi's sculpture*, and this gives him historical importance. The dates and sculp­tures which he ascribes to Azzopardi are in fact corroborated by the information extracted from the relevant parish archives, various notarial deeds, and reports in contemporary newspapers.

35. In particular, there is no evidence to show that Azzopardi ever left Malta. 36. P.P. Castagna, op. cit., p . 205.

6ft EUGENE F. M O N T A N A R O the process ional s t a tue in wood of Our Lady of Graces at Zabbar , following the demise of Mar i ano Ge rada in Cospicua on 24 J a n u a r y 1823. (37)

1828 — 1834 In 1828 Azzopardi completed t he first of his major carv ings , a Madonna

of the Rosary in wood, commiss ioned by t he Cospicua Confra tern i ty of t he Rosary . (38) This graceful and s lender Madonna w a s repainted and gilded in t he 1950s. It is for tuna te t h a t w e still possess a pho tograph of t he original work . In th is ins tance the a l t e ra t ions effected on t h e original carv ing can b e t raced w i thou t m u c h difficulty.

T h e Christ at the Pillar, carved in wood in 1834 for t he Val le t ta Con­fra terni ty of t he Holy Cross , (39) is one of Azzopard i ' s mos t s t i r r ing w o r k s . It w a s completed wi th in a y e a r from the d e a t h of his first wife, Giovanna Rosa. Dur ing res tora t ion w o r k carr ied ou t in 1981 it w a s found t h a t ad­di t ional mater ia l had been wrapped round the f igure 's original loin-cloth. Evidently, Azzopard i had no t accounted for the body-denying tendenc ies of his pa t rons .

Wood h a s of course been used for m a n y purposes bes ides s ta tues . And Azzopardi is k n o w n t o have carved w o o d e n f igureheads (puleni) for sai l ing ships, as well as a l tar - furni ture , candles t icks and i tems of o r n a m e n t . (40) How­ever, l i t t le information is avai lable a b o u t Azzopard i ' s secular work . T h e lacuna is m o s t regre t tab le . But this is not to say tha t Azzopardi failed t o a t t r ac t lay pa t ronage ; it is only t h a t t he avai lable wr i t t en records tell us ve ry little abou t i t .

Abundant Sources Document s exist for n u m e r o u s commiss ions carried ou t be tween 1838 and

1858, all concern ing process ional s t a tues in po lychromed wood. Azzopardi w a s incredibly prolific a t this period. T h e surviving records — cont rac ts , news -

37. In the first edition of hi» History of Malta, P.P. Castagna attributes the statue of Our Lady of Graces to Azzopardi, and ascribes its execution to the year 1824 (III, p. 108). It has been held that the statue was in fact gilded by Azzopardi in 1825; the date 1825 is incised in the Virgin's sandal — see K. Bonavia, Lehen h-Santwarju, Zabbar, Festa 1980, p. 4. However, Azzopardi did not practise the gild­ing craft. I t is more likely that he was engaged to complete the work on the statue, begun by Mariano Gerada. but left unfinished at his death in 1823.

38. P .P . Castagna. op. cit., p. 205. See also M. Grech Taylor, Unpublished Diary, 1910 . 1920, n.n., now in the Carmelite Convent, Valletta.

39. PP. Castagna. op. cit., p. 206. 40. Ibid.

A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR 69 pape r repor t s and t he record of proceedings of a lengthy lawsui t — i l lus t ra te the pa t ronage and w o r k i n g pract ice of a sculp tor in 19th cen tu ry Mal ta . T h e p a t r o n s are , inevi tably, t h e focus: t he lay Confra tern i t ies (derived from the medieval gui lds) largely mot iva ted by a spir i t of compet i t ive emula t ion , and pr iva te individuals bes towing dona t ions of vo t ive effigies. This mater ia l provides historical informat ion bu t also provokes t he discuss ion of p rob lems which it i l luminates even if i t does not solve.

Thus , for example , t he con t rac t s invariably specify t h a t Azzopard i is to execu te his carv ing in wood ( legname) , bu t t h e y never indicate t he t ype of wood which is to be used.

Again, pr ices , which are reckoned in scudi , p resen t difficulties. T h e sum quoted in a cont rac t , for ins tance, is no proof of payment , of which sepa ra te record does not a lways exist . Prices for Azzopard . ' s s t a t u e s varied consider­ably, but somet imes he was paid an inclusive fee and m e t all expenses .

Pass ion /mages

On 6 May 1838 the Cospicua Confra tern i ty of the Holy Cross commiss ioned from Azzopard i t w o s t a t u e s in wood represen t ing Christ at the Pillar and t he Ecce Homo. The re la t ive cont rac t w a s executed in Cospicua and published by N o t a r y Calcedonio Battajille. (41) The t w o s t a tues w e r e t o be carved a tenor delli modelli i quali trovansi in poter del detto Mro. Scultore, e secondo fa proporzione e regofa deff'arte di scultura. Accord ing to the con t rac t , Az­zopardi w a s m e a n t to receive a fee of 250 scudi which , however , w a s t o include the cost of t he wood for the t w o s t a t u e s . In fact he received a fee of 268 scudi, 8 t a r i and 6 grani on a deed of paymen t published by t he s ame Nota ry on 18 Apri l 1841.(42) T h e t w o s t a tues measure 5 feet 4 inches in height . (43)

It is indeed f rus t ra t ing to come across references to sketch models , or bozzetti, wh ich have s ince vanished wi thou t t r ace . Of Azzopardi ' s ske tch models , only one appea r s t o have survived; it is a wooden Ecce Homo bozzetto which is n o w in t he Chapel of t he Crucifix in the Par i sh Church of Cospicua.

41. Actz Notary Calcedonio Battajille, 6/5/1838, 374r. 42. Act* Notary Calcedonio Battajille, 18/4/1841. 346r. Azzopardi'* feet appear to have

been relatively modett. The sculptor who carved the ttatue of the Virgin of Mount Cermet at Zurrieq, charged a fee of 402 tcudi (See Acts Notary Pietro Paolo Far. rugia 26/10/1840, 526v.), roughly twice the prire normally demanded by Az­zopardi for his carvings.

43. Process Appeil Civili, 8A/1858. Zlv.

70 EUGENE F. MONTANARO

St George One of the mos t s t r ik ing fea tures of Azzopardi ' s sculptura l career is his

success in acquir ing a cl ientele of pa t rons from Gozo. His popula r pres t ige in Gozo p robab ly gained mos t from his St George, a life-size effigy in wood of t he soldier-saint . T h e S t George (Basilica of St George, Gozo) , apparen t ly commiss ioned as an ex-voto effigy in 1838, w a s probably comple ted in 1839, s ince t h e Lfbro Esi to 1817 — 1844 for St George 's Par ish Church records t h a t a wooden niche for t he s t a tue w a s del ivered and paid for in 1839. And from the s a m e source w e learn t h a t on 25 October 1840 Azzopardi received a modes t fee per aver accomodate la statua di S. Giorgio. (44) However , t h e t r ue implicat ions of this last e n t r y remain s o m e w h a t obscure .

S t Joseph

On 6 May 1843 Azzopard i completed a wooden s t a t u e of St Joseph , com­miss ioned by the Cospicua Confra tern i ty of the sa int . The s t a t u e w a s sub­sequen t ly damaged beyond repai r by t he unfor tuna te a t t e m p t to conver t it into o n e represen t ing St Andrew. (45) Nonethe less , a c o n t e m p o r a r y newspape r gives us a descr ip t ion of t he original w o r k ;

Lo scul tore nos t ro conci t tad ino Piet ro Paolo Azzopard i , avendo condo t to al suo t e rmine 1'esimio lavoro della s t a t ua del Pa t r ia rca San Giuseppe Sposo di Maria V. in t rapreso per commissione della Ven. Confra tern i ta di le t to San to , il dl 6 del co r ren te maggio la espose nella Ven. Chiesa di San Paolo Apos to lo della Ci t ta ' Cospicua . . . Non poss iamo perf) negare a! sagace scul tore un piccol t r i bu to di lode; avendo egli d a t o alia s t a t ua un a t t egg iamen to che fa sen t i re la pace che regna nei sant i cuori di GesU e di Giuseppe Le vest i sono compar t i t e con g rande intell igenza e sono piegate in modo il piO soave . ed il piO pas toso : ove compar i sce il nudo ispira p ie toso candore , e in t u t t a la figura domina un 'a rmonica proporzione. (46)

T h e a lmost apologet ic reference to t h e f igure 's nud i ty recalls t he problems provoked by the Christ at the Pi l lar of 1834 at Val le t ta .

S t A g a t h a T h e rivalry which an ima ted t he p a t r o n s showed n o sign of aba t ing . T h e

44. Si. George's Parish Archives, Gozo, Libra Esito 1817-1844, 254v. Thi* document i n brought to my attention by Mr. John Bezzina.

45. Personal communication by Rev. Can. Joseph Bonello. 46. II Trionfo della Religione. 11/5/1843. p . 76.

A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR 71 Cospicua Confra tern i ty of St A g a t h a p rompt ly commiss ioned from Azzopardi a s t a tue in wood of t he i r pa t ron saint . The s t a t u e of St Agatha, execu ted by Azzopardi on a des ign by G. Hyzler , w a s completed in 1846. (47) T h e figure shows the leas t ex te rna l movemen t bu t is charged with in tense rel igious fervour.

Gozo

Meanwhi le , Azzopard i cont inued t o a t t r a c t cl ients from Gozo. His wooden s t a t u e of St John the Baptist a t Xewkija w a s inaugura ted on 22 June 1845. (48) It is w o r t h noth ing tha t Azzopardi gave to t he surface of the base of th i s figure a t r e a t m e n t s imilar to t h a t g iven t o t he s t a t u t e of St George. Both f igures in fact s tand on rough-hewn rock.

Nex t in d a t e t o t h e S t J o h n comes t he w o o d e n Crucifix wh ich is the foremost process ional image of Holy W e e k a t the Basilica of St George, Gozo. Th i s Chr is t on t he Cross , completed by Azzopard i in 1848, (49) is a gent le figure of compass ion and love; t he suffering is in fact res t ra ined.

The Bambina

The half-life size w o o d e n effigy of t he Bambina a t Mell ieha w a s com­missioned from Azzopardi by a pr iva te pa t ron in 1853. T h e even t is recorded by a cor responden t of L'Ordine, a c o n t e m p o r a r y weekly:

Con s o m m o nos t ro piacere annunc i amo al publico il bel dono che ha fa t to il Rev. Sac. Don Giuseppe Di Stefano di una bel l iss ima Immagine della B. Verg ine Maria so t to il t i tolo della Vi t tor ia alia chiesa del villaggio della Meleha, alia quale lo s tesso Rev. S ignore ha fa t to var ie vol te r icche donazioni , e ne 6 benefa t to re insigne. Ques ta s a n t a Immagine, opera esimia in legno del Mro . Pie t ro Paolo Azzopardi , nos t ro conci t tad ino , fu benedet ta da S.E. il nos t ro Vescovo il 6 se t t embre corrente . (50)

It m u s t be noted , however , t h a t significant a l t e ra t ions to t h e head and hands of Azzopard i ' s Bambina w e r e effected in 1916. (51)

47. G. Calteja, 7"A* Works of Art In The Churches of Malta And The Governor's Palace Valletta, Malta. 1881, p. 73. 48. Xewkija Parish Archives, La Solenne Translazione della Nuova Statua di San Gio­

vanni Battista, it d\ 22 Giugno, IS45. See also Serafin Borg, Ix-Xtwkija Fi Graijiet It-Kappillani U L-Arciprieti Taghha. Malta 1978, pp. 23-24.

49. P.P. Castagna, op. cit., p . 206. 50. L'Ordine, 16/9/1853, p . 4160. 51. J . Cauchi, Maria Bambina. Mellieha, 1853 - 1978, Malta, p. 7.

72 EUGENE F. MONTANARO

The Cospicua Redeemer In v i r tue of a p r iva te wr i t ing da ted 1 Ju ly 1855 t he Cospicua Confra tern i ty

of t he Hoiy Cross commiss ioned from Azzopardi una statua di legno campleta di Gesu Redentore ossia la Bajulazione, T h e s t a t u e w a s t o be del ivered t o t he pa t rons , pitturata tutta in olio, con colori di piu fini. (52) This w a s t o prove t he mos t difficult and f rus t ra t ing under tak ing of Azzopard i ' s career .

T h e agreement i l lus t ra tes , even more than t h e previous con t rac t s , t h e jea lous emula t ion which t he s t a tues p rovoked . Azzopardi w a s to give his figure a pos tu re s imi lar t o t h a t of t he Redeemer a t Sengiea, and h e w a s to comple te t he w o r k b y t he th i rd S u n d a y of Lent 1856. (53) T h e agreed fee w a s o n e of 200 scudi . The sculp tor w a s t o receive 50 scudi on signing t he ag reement , ano the r 50 scudi on complet ing t h e bozze t to , a third ins ta lment of 50 scudi af ter having comple ted and gessoed t he s t a tu t e , and the ou t s t and ing ba lance of 50 scudi on del iver ing t he s t a tue t o his pa t rons .

The commiss ion seemed to be u n d e r an un lucky s ta r from the beginning. Azzopardi w a s no t granted permiss ion to view, and ske tch , t he s t a t u t e of t he Redeemer a t Seng'.ea. T h e p a t r o n s were apparen t ly satisfied wi th his bozzetto but eventua l ly refused to pay him the second ins ta lment of t he agreed fee. They contended t h a t t he s t a t u e did not conform wi th the agreed model and t h a t i t w a s not comple ted wi th in t he s t ipula ted t ime-l imit .

Azzopard i , therefore , ins t i tu ted legal proceedings in o rder to obta in t he second ins ta lment of his fee. H e also reques ted t he Cour t t o condemn his c l ients to provide him with a sui table c ross for t he s ta tue .

A t length , t he Court appoin ted a panel of t h ree a r t i s t s (periti dell'arte), namely Salvatore Micallef, Antonio Falzon and Salvatore Psaila, to submi t a repor t on t he s t a t u e in ques t ion and to es tabl ish w h e t h e r t he de lay in execu­tion w a s the fault of t he sculptor , or, a l te rna t ive ly , t h a t of t he pa t rons .

T h e Referees ' Report , wh ich w a s submi t t ed t o t he Court on 17 November 1857, dec lared tha t the s t a tue conformed with t he model executed by Azzopardi and approved by t he pa t rons :

Esamina t a a t t e n t a m e n t e ques ta s t a tua come esegui ta sul de t to model lo 1'abbiamo t rova ta di essere regolare nel le sue proporzioni , decen te

52. Process Appell Civili. 8A/1858, 4r. 53. Ibid.

A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR 73 e propr ia ne l l ' a t t i tudine , ie pieghe ben intese ad u n a figure caden te la qua le b della d imens ione di sei piedi e due pollicl. (54)

Moreover , according t o t he Repor t , Azzopard i ' s f igure was an improve­m e n t on the model agreed to by t he par t ies in t he pr iva te wr i t ing of 1855:

vi abb iamo r i levato c h e la posizione della figure fa t t a dal l ' Azzopardi b de l t u t t o uguale nel suo ass ieme a ques t a della Sengiea, ma per a l t ro r imarch iamo che l 'esecuzione del l 'Azzopardi 6 piQ giudiziosa, m e n t r e la s t a t u a della Sengiea pecca di sproporzioni e mal p iegata nei panni da non imitars i . (55)

T h e Cour t -appoin ted expe r t s concluded t h a t t he delay in execut ion w a s occasioned by t he behaviour of the pa t rons :

™>' r i leviamo. che da l t enore del le due le t te re officiali esis-ten t i in processo risulta che tale d i scont inuaz ione del lavoro pro-venne per fa t to dei convenut i i quali hanno cons idera to la s t a t ua In lavoro come non a seconda della convenzione , e piccola. Oltre a ci6 dalla deposiz ione di Giuseppe Terreni r isul ta che 1'artista Azzopardi a t t endeva dai suot commi t t en t i la croce, c h e non gli fu m a n d a t a , c i rcos tanza che ha sospeso l 'Azzopardi dal con t inuare il lavoro. (56)

On t he basis of this Report , Azzopardi won h is case , wi th costs . T h e Cour t of Appeal confirmed t he j udgemen t of t he Court of First Ins tance on 1 Feb rua ry 1858. (57) Cons te rna t ion ensued. T h e cor responden t of L'Ordine inveighed agains t t he p a t r o n s w h o had availed themse lves of t he Conf ra te rn i ty ' s funds in l i t igation w i thou t consul t ing their fe l low-members:

Q u e s t a ques t ione na ta dai suddet t i p rocura tor ! non solo per in-giusto mot ivo ma puranche per vessazione: l i t igarono pu re a spese della Confra terni ty senza veruna in t imazione dei confratelli (58)

34. Ibid., 2lr. 33. Ibid. This judgement reflects Salvatore Psaila'i artistic integrity. Salvatore Piail

(1798 - 1871) and Alessandro Farrugia (1791 . 1871) were Axaopardi's rao.t seriou rivals in this lino of work

56. Ibid., 21 v. 37. Ibid., 37r. 58. L'Ordine, 19/2/1858, p. 5086.

74 EUGENE F. MONTANARO

The sculp tor -pa t ron d i spu te t h u s lasted a period of three yea r s . However , t h e r e is no doubt t h a t t he Cospicua Redeemer is t he mos t a m p l y documen ted of Azzopard i ' s commiss ions .

The Lost Sculptures

Soon a f te rwards . Azzopardi began w o r k on t he scu lp tura l g roup of the Invent ion of the Cross. T h e subject w a s clearly conceived as a whole : by ges tu re and pos ture the free-s tanding figures of S t Macar ius and S t Helen lead t he eye t o w a r d s t he focal point, a beautifully inlaid w o o d e n c ross . In these figures, Azzopard i mixed t w o media — the head, hands and feet a re carved in wood, wh i l e t he body- f rameworks a r e in papier mdchfe. T h e w o r k is s igned and d a t e d —

Febra ro 1862 P . Paolo Azzopardi

Scul tore

The Invent ion of the Cross w a s originally commiss ioned by t he Val le t ta Con­fra terni ty of t he Holy Cross . However , in 1900, t he s ame Confra tern i ty acqui red a n e w group of s t a t u e s depic t ing t he s ame subject , which w e r e manufac tured in Lecce. (59) In t h a t s ame year , 1900, Azzopard i ' s f igures w e r e purchased by Anton io Portell i , a Gozitan, and a r e now in t h e Ora to ry annexed t o the Church of St Franc is , Victoria, Gozo . (60)

Azzopard i ' s last surviving w o r k is a n effigy in wood of S t Michael , com­missioned by t he Confra te rn i ty of t he sa int in Qormi , and comple ted in 1865. (61) T h e figure p o r t r a y s t h e Archangel in t he t rad i t iona l w a r r i n g s t ance , t r ampl ing over Sa tan .

Epilogue

During t he las t qua r t e r of t he 19th cen tu ry t he craft of f igure-carving in wood suffered a t e m p o r a r y eclipse in these Is lands. Nicola Zammi t , wr i t ing some eleven yea r s after P.P. Azzopardi ' s dea th gives a ve ry dismal account of t h e decline in t he t echn ique :

59. G. Xerri. Storja Qasira To" l-Arcihonfraternita tas-Sontissmu Kurcifiss, Malta, 1935, p. 35.

60. Nichola* Vella Apap. dmuenlo e Chiesa dei Fratt Minors Conventuals in Rabato di Goto, Unpublished mi. f. 354r.

61. P .P. Caatagna, op. ext., p . 206.

A FORGOTTEN SCULPTOR 75 La scol tura in gene re di figura e o ra dec i samente al di so t to d 'ogni mediocr i ty : manca a s so lu t amen te in paese un ar t i s ta . Lo scalpel 'o non b pib che lo s t r umen to di pochi decora tor i che diffic. lmente so rpassano sb s tess i d i rozzando fogliami, rosoni, fusaroli, car tocci , festoni ed al t r i ornat i di genere esc ' .usivamente e rbaceo (62)

For tuna te ly , t he craft w a s revived by Abram Gat t , whose sculptura l ca ree r spilled into t he p resen t cen tury . T h e modern abhor rence for the f igurative and the representative in a r t has proved a se tback for t he commiss ioning of life-size images in wood. Nonetheless , George Bora ' s St Sebastian (Qormi) is a fine example of this form of t radi t ional woodcarv ing , and " the a r t h a s been kep t alive by a n u m b e r of fine c rafs tmen w h o include Antonio Buhag ia r (b. 1906), Samuel Bugeja (b. 1920) and others . ' " (63)

I t m u s t be conceded tha t the d o c u m e n t a r y sources for Azzopard i ' s sculp­t u r e s a r e highly impersona l . They a r e pe rhaps highly i l lus t ra t ive of pa t rons ' r equ i remen t s and preferences , but tel l us v e r y l i t t le about t he sculptor ' s point of view. Moreover , Azzopardi left no wr i t t en s c rap of record about his life o r his craft .

In t hese c i rcumstances it is difficult t o r e l a t e Azzopard i ' s inner feelings and in ten t ions t o t he local c o n t e m p o r a r y a r t i s t i c scene, and any a t t e m p t t o do th is m u s t be largely hypothet ica l . It is probably t rue t o say tha t Azzopardi believed a rden t ly in t he au then t i c w o r k of t h e hand and in the role of t he ca rver a s an unpre ten t ious c r a r t sman like t he sculp tor of the Middle Ages .

In essence , however , h e w a s a con t r ibu to r to an effort in which m a n y Other sculptors shared, and which w a s pe rhaps more impor tan t t h a n any one of them. The i r s t a tues a r e a living wi tness t o t he special cul t ivat ion of hand craf t smanship in these Is lands .

62. N. Zammit, Malta e sue Industrie. Malta, 1886, p . 101. 63. M. Buhagiar, St Catherine Of Alexandria, Malta, 1978, p. 222.

2a. VIRGIN OF THE ROSARY by P.P. AZZOPARDI (1828). The gilding and or­na t e pedesta l a r e later add i t ions . Cospicua parish church. Photo : E.F. Montana ro .

Cfii'T*- tjt* * e i > T £ . . ^ 7 ,

2b. THE SIGNATURE MAESTRO SCULTORE PIETRO PAOLO AZZOPARDI on a deed published by Nota ry Calcedonio Battajille on 6th May 1838. Pho to : L.F. Tor te l l .