A range of maiolica and porcelain vessels, used both for display and for serving food during formal banquets in Hospitaller Malta, is being exhibited at the Romegas Hall, National Museum of Archaeology, until the end of December.

The exhibition, entitled Fare Convito: The Archaeology of Banqueting in Hospitaller Malta (16th to 18th century), delves deeply into how food, art and politics came together in the ritual of baroque banqueting – the formal and communal sharing of food and drink – between the 16th and the 18th century in Malta.

During that period, under the Order of St John, Malta imported many aspects of the European dining culture, mainly from Renaissance Italy and from Rococo France. An especially striking feature was the Convito – the formal banquet – which provided a theatrical backdrop for political discussion and intrigue. 

The items on display were all discovered in archaeological investigations in Malta, or were conserved in local museum collections. Most of the artefacts are being exhibited publically for the first time.

An especially striking feature was the Convito – the formal banquet – which provided a theatrical backdrop for political discussion and intrigue

They include two late Renaissance plates belonging to Cardinal Farnese’s famous credenza, a Chinese Ming porcelain import to Malta, important examples of South Italian heraldic plates, and a wide range of French and North Italian faience, including examples in the Rococo style of Moustier.

The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between Heritage Malta and the Malta National Library, the Metropolitan Chapter of Malta, the National Museum of Archaeology, the Inquisitor’s Palace, MUŻA, the Grand Master’s Palace and the Gozo museums.

Admission is free. The exhibition will move to the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa from January until March 2024. A booklet will be available for sale at both exhibitions.