Artist
priest to display Neapolitan crib in Valletta
©
Natalino Fenech, The Times of Malta (29-11-2005)
A
fully fledged Neapolitan crib will be set up in Valletta in the
middle of next month, the first time that a crib of this type will
grace the capital city.
The internal courtyard of Palazzo Ferreria in Valletta, opposite the Opera House site, will serve as the backdrop for the creation of Naduri Fr Charles Vella.
Fr Vella, who now lives in Valletta, had introduced the concept of the Neapolitan crib to Malta in 1996 and has been developing his work ever since.
Last Christmas, a large Neapolitan crib featuring authentic 18th century figurines was on show in Victoria.
The Valletta crib will be graced by beautifully dressed terracotta figures sculpted by Fr Vella, who is an artist and art restorer. "I still have a lot to do but I work faster under pressure," he said.
The traditional Neapolitan crib has three sections. A middle section represents the birth of Christ amid Roman remains, symbolising light emerging from the ruins. One on side there are angels giving the good news to shepherds and people disposed to listen and on the other is the taverna where people continue with their daily lives unmoved and uninspired by the birth of Christ.
The figures have been dressed in authentic antique fabrics which he bought from flea markets abroad or obtained locally.
A piece of silk that must have once formed part of a very rich woman's embroidered skirt is now part of a mantle on the back of one of the Three Kings. Another piece of embroidered cloth that must have seen better times, as it was patched up at least 400 years ago, has been turned into a poor man's shirt.
"Some of the pieces of fabric I have used are at least 400 years old," Fr Vella says, as he sews up a piece of old lace that will adorn the Madonna's dress.
"You have to be jack of all trades to make Pasturi Naplitani," he says in his mild Gozitan drawl and with an infectious smile.
Expressive faces and limbs that have been shaped by his very able hands are now being given more life both by his paintwork as well as by the way they have been dressed up.
One can see the veins popping out on the face and neck of a man blowing a French horn. Shepherds look serene and have simple looks on their faces. In the taverna, one can see some rather troubled characters.
Fr Vella studied art restoration in Italy and restored a number of important paintings found in private collections as well as large works found in churches, both in Malta and abroad.
He has now started making terracotta figures and revived the tradition of making Baby Jesus out of bees wax.
Last year he made a few Baby Jesus figures of the Bambin tal-gradenza type that created quite a stir among local Christmas aficionados. A genuine antique easily costs in the region of Lm2,000.
They are not cheap to make these days either, considering that the cloth used in draping them costs close to Lm100 a metre because it is embroidered with gold.
"I am always experimenting and never satisfied with my work. I strive to improve all the time," he says.
His new works of art and restoration will always have to take the back seat as Christmas approaches. And as the new year kicks in, he is determined to complete the set of Good Friday figures in wax he had started last year, and then work on material for an exhibition at St James later in the year.
Fr Charles Vella's name is set to join the names of a number of priests who have been associated with art in Malta: Francesco De Domenici painted the altarpiece of Our Lady of the Rosary in Nadur, Gozo, which was incidentally restored by Fr Charles. Sr Maria, Francesco De Domenici's sister, is said to have assisted Mattia Preti in the paintings found in the ceiling at St John's Co-Cathedral. Canon Salvatore Bondi was an artist and an architect whose work can be seen in St Anthony the Abbot's Church in Xaghra and at St George's Basilica.
"I have a number of projects and ideas in hand. Time is one of the problems. I tend to work late at night and early in the morning as art comes second to my vocation as a priest, and I lecture at university too.
"I work in enormous bursts of energy. Though I am critical of my work, people like the end result, so I must be doing something right. I am glad the Neapolitan crib will be in Valletta. Thousands saw the one I set up last year in Gozo. Many more will have the opportunity to see the one in Valletta this year," he said.
