Carlo Darmanin: a pioneer in Good Friday iconography

Our forefathers constantly showed interest and devotion during the pious days commemorating the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A characteristic feature of Holy Week in Malta is undoubtedly the processions held in Maltese and Gozitan parishes.

The majority of the statues carried shoulder-high in these processions are manufactured from papier-mâché. There are some that are sculptured from wood. Although some are foreign imports, mainly from Italy, most have come from the capable hands of Maltese sculptors and statuarians.
A cursory look at the anatomical lines of statues such as the Crucifixion and the Scourging at the Pillar is enough to reveal the extent of the respective sculptor’s studies of the human anatomy. Furthermore, some statues reveal the highest level ever attained in the art of papier-mâché manufactured figures, a comment applicable also to representations sculptured in wood.
It is impossible to write about Maltese statue makers and not mention Carlo Darmanin. This not only because of the enormous number of statues he produced, but also because of his innovations in the iconography of Good Friday processional statues.

Carlozzo, as he was...