Several gems in the latest issue of ‘Treasures of Malta’
Treasures of Malta
Edited by Giovanni Bonello, No. 85
Published by Maltese Heritage Foundation
The attack of Giuseppe Arcidiacono Still Life with Christmas Flowers, Books, and Candles on the cover of the latest issue of Treasures of Malta it’s more than a welcome reminder of our first normal Christmas after the two-year COVID hiatus.
The excavation of the ‘French’ cemetery in Rabat, Gozo, in the mid-fifties was a great cultural loss for our medieval heritage. Of the 28 funerary slabs of sculpted limestone that were attached to its wall, only 14 have survived. And, nevertheless, these slabs had been increasing the curiosity of the experts about what they meant.
Thomas Freller, who has established himself as the most prolific author of accounts of visits to the island by foreign travelers, delves into its background and the various theories that have arisen about their origins. One popular theory attributed them to noble French dignitaries who died in Gozo in the 13th century. In the 18th century, they were considered Masonic symbols derived from the history of the Templars. A scholar saw representations of the Holy Grail in sculpted chalices!
Arnold Cassola helps to bring out his fellow Maltese from the shadow of general oblivion: the ‘architect‘ Antonio Cassar, who built a reputation in the 17th century in Scicli, Sicily. In 1621, it is recorded that he contributed to the construction of the left wing of the church of Santo Matheo et Beato Guglielmo and to restore the Triangular tower overlooking the city. Not much is known about him yet, except for the reference to ‘Master Antonio Cassar, architect of the city of the Island of Malta‘.
The beautiful marble frontispiece at the main entrance of the Berga d’Italia is one of the most flamboyant on the island and honors one of its main benefactors, the Grand Master Gregorio Carafa, whose bust -his bronze opens in its center.
Sandro Debono investigates his background using new archival and bibliographical information. Designed by the young French artist Raymond La Fage, the obverse was sculpted by Icelander Giuseppe Casanova while the bust was cast by Geronimo Conte. Traditionally it is said that the marble came from the lost temple of Proserpina in Mtarfa.
Art critic Louis Laganà describes some of the unfamiliar sculptures of Đanni Bonnici (1932–2019) who is much better known for his large-scale public monumental sculptures, including the Independence Monument in the Mall , in Floriana.
Bonnici moved from the academic rigidity in which he was trained to a more modernist approach. In these generally small works, he was free from the constraints of any patron and could therefore give free rein to his imaginative powers. His themes varied from the archetypal woman, motherhood and family to the Maltese identity for the religious, the last one being one of his great sources of inspiration.
Nicholas Joseph Doublet pays tribute to Bishop Edward Coleiro (1914–1996). All his students remember him for his fiery but fair character with great love for Virgil, of whom he was a world authority. Malta g[andha dejn kbir g[ad-de/i]his inspired ion[u li j/aqlaq il-Mu]ew of the Cathedral from the chapter room to the vacant building of the old seminary in Mdina This vision is pursued with single energy today from the museum to the repository of a collection of the best artistic works on the island[all-binivakantitas-seminarjul-antikfl-ImdinaDinil-viżjonisegwietb’enerġijawaħedhauillumil-mużewsarir-repożitorjuta’kollezzjonita’xogħlijietartistiċimill-aqwafuqil-gżira
One hopes that the respect shown by foreigners towards our cultural heritage will one day wash away the local Taliban who seem intent on leaving the scorched earth behind them.
Charles Debono, the curator of the National War Museum, gives an account of the island’s military vicissitudes from the Bronze Age to the fall of the Roman Empire in the west, a span of 3,500 years.
Debono notes that “the aspect of weapons and war have been left (sic) for the most part in previous studies” and aims to fill this neglected aspect in this and other subsequent contributions .
Daggers and an ax belonging to the Tarxien Cemetery phase indicate the presence of warlike activities, which become more marked in the Borj in-Nadur phase with its fortified settlements and in the Bahrija phase.
Debono attributes the origin of the half dozen surviving ‘Roman’ towers to the Punic period and advances Anthony Bonanno’s claim that they may have served as watchtowers to defend the olive groves.
Guillaume Dreyfuss and Charlene Jo Darmanin write about the importance of cross-disciplinary involvement from the beginning to the completion of heritage projects. Reference is made to the local projects carried out in the Manoel Theater and in the Anglican pro-cathedral of San Paul and managed by AP Valletta.
Robert Thake’s favorite item is a copy of Geronimo Marulli’s Vite de Gran Maestri, published in Naples in 1636, and formerly owned by the French magistrate François-Auguste de Thor who literally lost his head for being involved in a plot against Cardinal Richelieu.
In the first of a series that will shed light on drawings by artists active locally, Roger De Gaetano focuses on a preparatory sketch by Antoine Favray in a private collection. The work is the obvious early drawing for his well-known Portrait of a Maltese Noble Lady with her grandson and is an excellent example of the skill of the artist at work to complete rapid preparatory work for later elaboration in his writing. shop.
On November 16, 1972, the Convention on the Safeguarding of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted and entered into force four years later. Anthony Pace, the coordinator of Malta’s World Heritage Nomination Project, recalls his 50th anniversary and his active involvement in the protection of our unique cultural sites. New local candidates for inclusion in the World Heritage List are Mdina and Cittadella.
One hopes that the respect shown by foreigners towards our cultural heritage will one day wash away the local Taliban who seem intent on leaving the scorched earth behind them.
Giulia Privitelli reviews Christian Attard The Art of Dying Well: Visual Culture in Times of Piety and Plague. Malta 1675–1814one of the outstanding books of the year, while Paul Xuereb contributes the very useful subject index to the illustrations in the previous volume.
Cecilia Xuereb reviews the rich cultural scene, which is slowly but surely continuing after the COVID interlude, while Antonia Critien points out some upcoming calendar highlights for the next few months.
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