The saints of Lent

They spent the remainder of the Lenten week in Baclayon, Bohol. Here, the carrozas are more numerous and for the most part bigger than what they had seen in Dumanjug at the Wednesday procession. They found a good position on a small hill to watch the Good Friday procession pass by.

They decided that the “Ecce Homo” statue carried by a frail looking carroza was the most interesting of all that they saw. It was, for one, better lighted. It used an indirect lighting system.

You see the light cast instead of the light bulb itself. In majority of the carrozas you could see the light bulbs directly. The direct lighting system is always “blinding” and hard on the eyes. And you can generally tell just exactly how by taking a photo of it.

In the final picture, you will find that the camera will have recorded the light sources themselves more than the objects (saints) being lighted. So you end up with a bad picture instead of a good one.

But the “Ecce Homo” carroza was lighted from hidden points at the floor of the carroza, which ideally would hold flowers. The soft warm light pointed outwards lighting up especially the seated Jesus’ face. And immediately they observed how it still had its original “satin” patina. It looked old and beautiful.

Many of the other saints had been refinished with glossy varnish, which is the worst thing you can do with an old wooden statue. Once glossy, the surface will now look rather “plastic” and disturbing. Paint looks better with age. And it looks better by acquiring a fine patina.

The act of revarnishing covers this patina and the result is always difficult to reverse. You will most likely need an experienced professional to do this. The proper thing to do with antique statuary is simply to wax the surfaces very lightly. A good option to use is beeswax, which surprisingly is available at a candle store in Carbon market although the beeswax here is yellow.

There are fine purified beeswax available abroad. They come in white granules and are always expensive. But local beeswax will do if prepared properly.

To make beeswax paste, heat the beeswax in a pan until it is liquid. Do not overheat. Do the next step away from any open flame. This part is dangerous so be very careful with turning off any nearby flame. Pour into the melted wax as much amount of paint thinner as you will need.

This particular amount you must learn from experimentation. Start by targeting for equal volumes of wax and thinner. You should end up with a mixture slightly more liquid or runny than commercial grade floor wax at room temperature.

You will find in due course that not much beeswax is needed for a single statue. You only need to cover the statue with the thinnest possible layer of wax to make it waterproof so that the wooden substrate is preserved. The beeswax also reconstitutes the paint surface even if it might seem already powdery. It protects the paint finish in much the same way as varnish, except that beeswax produces a “satin” matte finish which complements rather than hides the original patina. The wax can also be easily removed through slight heating and washing with soap and water.

Otherwise, the wax coating will last for years. You do not have to rewax every year. And you shouldn’t. The wax layer will keep dust and stains from attaching themselves too strongly on the sculpture. A little dusting is all that will be needed every year if the statue has been effectively protected from the elements, especially direct sunlight and moisture. And then you might find it useful information that should you ever need to clean old statuary from ingrained dust, the way to do this is always by using cotton buds very carefully and just very slightly wet with medical-grade distilled water.

Statuary both in Dumanjug and Baclayon towns form a major part of our cultural heritage. They are some of the most visually appealing aspects of Catholic religiosity. And they will grow ever more beautiful the older they get for as long as they are properly maintained. Not enough effort is being exerted now to document and conserve the Lenten statues. This is a worthwhile cause to think about.