Art historian, author, lecturer and artist Francesca Balzan is tomorrow delivering a lecture entitled ‘Joyful Jewellery: jewellery in carnival and social events’ at the National Library in Valletta.

Jewellery is a reflection of a society’s beliefs, traditions and practices. Although it is primarily used to adorn the body, it reflects the status of the wearer and can reveal much about the historical and cultural context in which it is created and worn.

In this light-hearted talk, Balzan will focus mostly on 19th-century jewellery and how it featured in carnival and social events, using writings and the surviving jewellery of the time to highlight the era.

This is the fourth lecture in a series of eight titled ‘Power, costume and scenography: making fashion a statement in 18th-19th century Malta’. The series is coordinated by Maroma Camilleri and Mevrick Spiteri with accompanying one-evening only exhibitions set up in collaboration with Heritage Malta.

The lecture is taking place tomorrow at the National Library, Valletta,  at 6.30pm. All Malta Libraries lectures are free and open to the public. No prior booking is necessary. For more information and updates about the lecture, check out the dedicated Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/3038205682865513 and any queries can be e-mailed directly to events.library@gov.mt.