In Greek mythology, Poseidon was god of the sea, earthquakes, storms and horses. He was known for his fierce demeanour: he was highly bad-tempered and vengeful when insulted.

The statue of Neptune in one of the courtyards of the Grand Master’s Palace.

Considered as one of the mightiest gods, he also exerted power over women, particularly through his rugged masculinity. The ancient Romans adopted this god and renamed him Neptune, identifying him only as the god of the sea, though retaining his alluring masculine appeal.

In 1615, to commemorate the completion of the remarkable aqueduct, Grand Master Adolf de Wignacourt erected a large bronze statue of the fearless god which was presented in his full manly splendour, looking dauntlessly at the endless marine expanse of his kingdom from the grandiose fountain which was placed in the harbour area of Valletta.

A marble cannon-shaped spout at the base of the fountain supplied water to both large seafaring vessels, such as galleys, and small boats which moored close by to take water for their voyages.

This spout today is at the Malta Maritime Museum, where the legend ‘Small boat do not be afraid to come close. Instead of fire you will find water’ is incised around the cannon’s muzzle. 

In 1686, strong waves caused considerable damage in the area of the Neptune fountain. Aged maritime echelon and hero Grand Master Gregorio Carafa paid for the renovation works. Neptune’s fountain continued to reign as a formidable landmark and invitation pièce de résistance of the city of Valletta for several years as immortalised in situ in period paintings, drawings and engraved works.

In 1858, during the British rule, Governor Gaspard Le Marchant, ordered the relocation of Neptune’s statue into one of the courtyards of the Grand Master’s Palace, right in the heart of Valletta.

To make matters worse, Neptune’s fountain basin was also removed to the Argotti Gardens in Floriana, leaving no trace of water in sight for the legendary sea god.

The large bronze statue of Neptune overlooking the harbour area is seen in a 17th-century painting.

Meanwhile, Neptune’s statue ended up on a pedestal as the courtyard’s centrepiece. Insult turned to injury when, eventually, a bronze fig leaf was added to hide away his manhood in pure Victorian modesty fashion.

Fast forward around 160 years to our times… To protect it from the current architectural conservation-restoration works taking place at the Grand Master’s Palace, Neptune’s statue was removed late last summer from the centre of the palace’s main courtyard.

Possibly, time has taught this mythical god not to stress over things he could no longer control. In fact, he looked utterly calm when he was ‘dethroned’ from his courtyard pedestal by Heritage Malta personnel and laid down to rest in the lovely historical palace courtyard loggia to enjoy a well-deserved conservation-restoration.

“This statue is of considerable artistic and historical value since it is one of the oldest bronze statues in Malta. Its latest known general maintenance took place in the 1990s by Italian conservators,” Heritage Malta conservator and restorer Joanne Dimech explained.

“Since the British brought this statue to the Grandmaster’s Palace, it was possibly never moved again, and conservation-restoration took place while it was in situ. Therefore, its temporary removal from its pedestal is serving to check better the present state of the statue and its pedestal.”

Nuts and bolts stuck in Neptune’s left hand.

Regular maintenance of such statues and the reapplying of protective coatings is a must

The first steps towards conservation and restoration start by documenting what type of damage is evident on the statue in order to understand its current state. This is followed by cleaning tests in each representative part where damage or previous interventions are noticed to help the conservators-restorers choose the adequate treatments.

“This bronze statue has served as a fountain for several years. Moreover, it was very exposed to the pollutants, particularly to sea aerosols. All of these are not ideal conditions for bronze since they lead to corrosion. Active corrosion eats away at the metal and needs to be addressed,” Dimech revealed as she pointed at particular areas on the statue.

Protective coatings are applied from time to time to bronze statues which are exhibited externally, and these must be taken into consideration too.

“There is a limit to how many years these protective coatings can serve and, therefore, regular maintenance of such statues and the reapplying of protective coatings is a must. Once the testing is done, we proceed to remove the latest protective coatings. The protective patina, especially if it is in good condition, is never removed since it becomes part of the history and of the statue itself,” Dimech continued.

Original bronze is of a golden colour. Its natural deterioration turns it into a green colour which ultimately stabilises itself and turns into a protective cover of the metal.

Dimech noted: “Since we have this exceptional circumstance where the monument was removed from its pedestal, we shall also be conducting some scientific investigations in order to understand better the material and the condition of the statue. Such investigations will provide us with better insight and will reveal what type of bronze was used for this statue, what are the elements of this metal and what is its thickness.

“Through such examinations, we can also look into the interior of the statue, checking for any internal damage, if there is any internal armature or some other material within its core. Although we won’t be able to intervene internally in the statue, such studies will help us take the necessary measures on its external area to stop any further damage.”

The separation of the monument from its pedestal revealed also the serious weak condition of the latter.

The statue’s pedestal was found to be badly in need of restoration.

“At one point, either at the time of the Order of St John or during the British Period, this pedestal was damaged. Iron rods were used to strengthen it internally but these have rusted along the years. We will be removing these rusted iron rods and replacing them with stainless steel to consolidate the pedestal,” Dimech pointed out.

It is impressive to be able to look at this mythical figure directly into his eyes and to observe his beautifully sculpted body at such a close distance. The abhorred bronze fig leave had been removed in the 1990s intervention and now forms part of Heritage Malta’s national collection.

Conservation-restoration white line marks highlighted areas on his body which are currently being treated.

His hands lay bare of his threatening trident and of the bronze scroll which sports Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt’s coat of arms that was added years after Neptune’s statue was originally cast.

Yet this closeness disclosed also a shocking intervention. Unsightly nuts and bolts were stuck into Neptune’s left hand in order to hold Wignacourt’s emblem by his side.

It is frightening to think of this god’s vengeance should he ever decide to react!

“Clearly, the original statue was not meant to hold the bronze scroll, and adaptations were done to it during Wignacourt’s rule,” Dimech said.

The restoration and conservation of the Neptune statue, its trident, its scroll and its pedestal were planned to take from three to five months. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, these works had to be temporarily halted.

They will resume at the earliest to give Neptune his due.

Fiona Vella is communications and marketing executive at Heritage Malta.