Macao Magazine 44
January 2018
Miles has applied his wide range of expertise to various institutional collections, including those of Museum Victoria, the Australian War Memorial, the Australian National Maritime Museum, and the Science Museum in London. He has worked on objects including a replica of the Apollo spaceship that landed on the moon, one of the first planes to make a long‑distance flight, automotive items, and many outdoor sculptures. Planning and execution Miles and a colleague first arrived in Macao in November 2016. “This is a World Heritage site and very significant,” Miles said of the Ruins of St. Paul’s. “These
are the last remaining objects of a building that burnt down in 1835. I have huge respect for the artefacts I work with.” Jesuits built the structure, originally known as Mater Dei (Mother of God), in the early 17th century. The church, made of wood and rammed earth with stone walls, featured a spectacular stone facade with carved decoration incorporated both Portuguese and Chinese imagery. Set on the hillside, the splendour of the church was meant to express the triumph of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1835, a fire ravaged the grand structure, leaving only the granite facade, parts of the walls, 68 stone steps, and other archaeological remains. The seven statues suffered only minor
damage, although some original elements are now missing, such as the angels and crescent moon surrounding the Virgin Mary. Miles and his colleagues conducted lengthy historical research and careful testing before beginning work on the two statues. “They have survived 400 years,” he explained, “but you can damage them in an instant.” Their research focused on collecting as much information as possible about the statues and their unknown sculptor: what materials did he use and how did he mix them together? Only then could Miles work out how to restore them. The IC provided a team of eight to assist the specialists. They erected temporary scaffolding around the facade to allow for
Conservator Ian Miles restoring the statues
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