CLAIRE BONAVIA___ TEXTILE CONSERVATOR

Renowned textile conservator with Heritage Malta Claire Bonavia is known for her passion and expertise in preserving cultural treasures. With a portfolio full of impressive exhibitions and successful conservation projects, including 17th-century textile pieces, she is a true inspiration to all who appreciate the significance of textiles in shaping history and cultural heritage. Fluoro’s editor Nancy Bugeja interviewed Claire who shares her journey — experiences, influences, and the impact she has had on the preservation of textiles and their cultural significance. These are her words.

“I grew up in Mellieħa, Malta, in a family of six who appreciated handwork, art, and music. This was supported by regular visits to local museums and churches. The most interesting activity which I still treasure to this day was the weekly visits to the studio of the late artist and painter George Fenech, who was also a great friend of my parents. These visits were always followed by interesting conversations regarding his recent works of still life, religious topics, or country/sea views executed in strong hues of colours in the plein airof Mellieħa. During these long conversations, I used to take the opportunity to flip through the easel paintings that were staggered upright on a very low shelf. My dad was always worried that I would damage the paintings, but George would always argue that nothing could go wrong. Those visits ingrained in me a passion to appreciate paintings and look at nature with a different eye.

This interest led me to take up a four-year diploma course in graphic design where I was also introduced to the history of art, wood, and stone carving to mention a few. The course also introduced me to several of the leading local artists of the 1980s the majority of whom had studied abroad.

When I finished the course, I was one of the first three students that were offered an apprenticeship with the Malta Museums Department. We worked with the Director of Museums Rev. Marius Zerafa. Our role was to prepare signs and set up exhibitions together. We also followed History of Art lectures delivered by Rev. Zerafa to university students. One dramatic experience was the recovery of the St Jerome painting by Caravaggio that had been stolen from the Museum of the Co-Cathedral of St John, Valletta.

During those years Rev. Zerafa encouraged me to study the restoration of the tapestries. This was possible thanks to an Italian scholarship I won to go to Florence way back in 1989 which experience gave me the opportunity to learn tapestry weaving and to encounter people like Dr Candance Adelson, a tapestry historian. My role was to accompany her while delivering her lectures. Another opportunity was to help her to prepare the packing cushioning for Napoleon Buonaparte’s ceremonial cap, breeches, waistcoat, and shoes from the collection of Stibbert Museum that were going to travel to Paris to commemorate the anniversary of the French Revolution.

Things I witnessed at home like my mother’s sewing and knitting our woollen tops, my grandmother (nanna) spinning sheep’s wool, and the haberdashery shop owned by my nanna had all come to life during this study experience in Florence.

When I returned to Malta, I was given the responsibility to look after the Maltese National Textile Collection. My role involved cleaning and organizing the textiles. This gave me an opportunity to learn about the collection and encounter fashion and textile fabrics hands-on. I saw several textiles from the collection come to life while preparing for the Costumes in Malta Exhibition in 1997 as part of the organizing team.

In 1999 I started a Bachelor’s Degree in Textile Conservation and later followed it up by a Master’s Degree in Applied Conservation Studies with the University of Malta. My dissertation was done on Country Folk Costumes in Malta. I made the patterns from the original pieces to record what humble people used to wear and the manufacture of textiles carried out on the Maltese islands. All this could take place thanks to the support of my husband and family.

In the meantime, the Museums Department was integrated with Heritage Malta where I started working as a textile conservator. During these past years, I was involved in several exhibitions including Vocabulary of Maltese Fashion, Country Folk Costume, and Timbre & Textiles.

One of my obligations and duty is to help people understand the importance textiles have on our culture. Until a few years ago textiles were considered minor arts due to such little importance being given to them. Over these past twenty years, things have changed both globally and locally. This is because textiles, whether used for clothing or soft furnishings, all form part of our daily lives.

To manufacture a piece of fabric one must acknowledge the work of several people whose name is not documented. We only look at the final product and those who wore the item. When a dress comes to us, we must imagine the person who wore it. This is because most textiles have no labels, and one is left to ponder from which period this item belongs. This is done by taking internal measurements to be able to build the mannequin according to the fashion period and the size of the person who wore it.

Working as a textile conservator with Heritage Malta has given me the opportunity to carry out conservation/restoration treatment on different textile items including a set of French Gobelins Tapestries “Les Tentures des Indes” dating back to the 17th century housed at the Grand Masters Place in Valletta. These still depict vibrant colours and the information embedded in them is one of a kind.

Military uniforms and flags carry with them the sentimental values of those persons who set themselves to protect their country. My role as a conservator/restorer is to preserve all the information possible for future reference. One moment that is unforgettable was meeting a 90-year-old American pilot who served during the Second World War and came personally to donate his uniform. This is one occasion and donation that remains close to my heart. While cleaning the cap I discovered a small photo hidden between the clip and the lining. It resulted to be the pilot’s girlfriend who later became his wife. This story was shared with the late Queen Elizabeth II when she visited the conservation lab in 2015. She was amazed and her words were “how fascinating”.

While carrying out conservation/restoration treatment one must keep in mind the values that each item carries with it. The values are all different be it money or sentimental. The job is to try and preserve as much as possible and give the object a safe space and environment so that others can study and enjoy what we are responsible for.

The National Textile collection consists mainly of clothes dating from the 18th century to the present day. However, we do have a few other examples from an earlier period and an important set of tapestries dating back to the 17th century given as a gift to the state by Grandmaster Perellos. This set still hangs in the original Chamber of the Grand Masters Palace they were made for.

My work contributes to the Maltese culture as textiles are items that are in contact with human begins. Textiles carry a lot of information regarding the class of society which they come from whether the item was a uniform or something used for Sunday best or other special occasions. They tell what category the person who wore it came from.

In the collection, one encounters all kinds of problems like tears, abrasions, insect damage, stains, and missing areas. The reason is that textiles were always made to serve humans either as protection from elements and while on duty at work or to embellish a place or to transmit a message like in the case of flags. Fortunately, through time people started to evaluate those textile items have a kind of value and ended up preserving them in a safe place until they found the right moment to donate them to the State. Fortunately, we also have several country folk costumes in the collection. I have carried out my Master’s dissertation specifically to document them. It was very difficult to find written sources. Most of the reference was achieved through pictorial images.

I have been sponsored to publish extracts from the original country folk costumes to help with their reproduction. People are referring to this research and that gives me a lot of satisfaction.

The satisfaction of being a textile conservator is when a costume, vestment, a flag or tapestry are displayed correctly and stored safely. It is wonderful to see the visitors’ faces and their inquisitiveness to know more because textiles represent people. They also relate the textiles with their relatives and start telling stories about family members.”

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Heritage Malta

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Thank you Claire Bonavia for your words.
Interview by Nancy Bugeja.

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