Treasures of Malta
Ed. Giovanni Bonello No. 84, Summer 2022
Published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti
Thirty years ago, the setting up of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti was a most welcome initiative. It proposed a renaissance of sorts in the local cultural scene though some expressed doubts how long such a noble dream could survive on an island where so many high-flown projects are born to the triumphant sound of trumpets only to sink into the morass of lethargy and be duly forgotten.
Fortunately, this was not the case with the Fondazzjoni which has not only survived but has grown from strength to strength enhancing a vision that had seemed too ambitious. Not only has it organised exhibitions that are cultural landmarks but has published volumes of researched works that will remain beacons of reference for decades to come. Not to mention its recent venture into podcasts.
The 84 issues of its flagship publication Treasures of Malta published to date are yet another achievement that quarterly reminds us of the great heritage of this miniscule island. The editorial rightly celebrates its past successes and looks forward to several new initiatives in the pipeline. The present issue is also accompanied by a 60-page supplement that records its various exhibitions and publications, as well as including appreciations by local and foreign scholars. In a few years’ time, this edition is bound to become a valuable collectors’ item.
The cover of this issue features the map of the universe by Antonino Saliba who described himself as il Maltese del Gozo. This is a rare Dutch hand-coloured late 17th-century copy of the 1582 original which is bound to be one of the star attractions of the Gozo Museum when it eventually opens.
A near disaster at Kalafrana in the early days of aviation in Malta.
On February 13, 1915, the first recorded flight in Malta took place in the Grand Harbour; it lasted some 15 minutes. The Royal Navy first and the Royal Air Force when it was set up in 1918 would make significant use of airplanes in their operation. In World War II, they would help to save the island from a fascist invasion.
Joseph Galea Debono writes about the first 30 years of aviation in Malta. In 1923, the first aerodrome on land was inaugurated at Ħal Far, although Kalafrana remained an important seaplane base. The island was a most useful stopover for long hauls where its great relevance was duly noted, in spite of a hundred or so accidents that took place between 1930 and 1936. In November of this last year, great damage took place when the island was hit by a furious storm destroying most of the naval squadron.
Nicholas de Gaetano makes a cogent case that the portrait of ‘a Maltese gentleman’ in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek is actually that of Grand Master de Rohan painted by Antoine Favray which was presented to the Elector of Baveria in 1784, following the creation of the Bavarian Langue of the Order. The one in the grand master’s palace is a faithful copy by Antonio Xuereb, a rather shadowy local artist.
Retired consultant surgeon Charles Swain writes about another Maltese artist of the 20th century: the watercolourist Giuseppe Arcidiacono (1908-97). Mostly self-taught, he found in watercolour a difficult medium he could exploit and which he continued to evolve and explore in his maturity. His love for the local landscape and the sea and boats are constant themes, with his later works marked by “unmatched vigour and a noticeable change in style”.
Patrick Galea’s favourite object is a painting of a modern nativity by Esprit Barthet which was used as the cover for the Sunday Times of Malta Christmas supplement in 1972. The painting is not officially recorded, it took years of patient research and a stroke of luck for Galea to discover its origin and date.
Esprit Barthet's painting used as a cover for 'The Sunday Times of Malta' Christmas supplement.
Malta owes a lot to Vincenzo Bonello and not just to make up for his illegal deportation at the height of the war. Singlehandedly, he set up the fine arts section of the museum where his learned fiuto enabled him to buy many of the fine exhibits we admire today. Theresa Vella writes about this extraordinarily talented connoisseur with an artistic and architectural vision far before its time based on solid archival research. He enriched the national collection by various means such as pre-emption, exchange for customs duties and death dues, and donations.
It needs more than a few lines in a review pressed for space to do credit to Vella’s exhaustive contribution about a man from whose expertise and generosity we are still benefitting today. Not to mention that he also gave us his eclectic son Giovanni, the general editor of Treasures of Malta, whose various publications and contributions regularly continue to illuminate and delight the cultural scene.
And it is Giovanni Bonello himself who, as his wont, delves into a topic barely skimmed before: three-dimensional photography in Victorian Malta. His personal collection includes some hundred items with a Malta theme but, since they are unsigned, it is not possible to say whether any are the works of a local photographer. One picture has, however, been attributed to the pioneering Leandro Preziosi.
A caricature of Vincenzo Bonello by Caruana Dingli.
One notable case was the renowned German photographer Giorgio Sommer who may have published some thirty local scenes between 1860 and 1865. There seems to have been an impressive international demand judging by the number of firms selling such scenes Bonello has unearthed. Still, as the author concludes, much remains to be discovered in this area.
Petra Caruana Dingli writes about a splendid baroque marble altar commissioned by the nuns of St Peter’s monastery in Mdina in 1748 involving several of the leading craftsmen of the time. The author identifies some of the nuns who contributed to this initiative mostly carried out by marmista Saverio Camilleri of Senglea, while Francesco Zahra was aid 30 scudi to paint the door of the tabernacle and some other work.
Stephen Degiorgio and Valeria Vanesio describe a newly discovered 18th-century lavish manuscript of the statutes of the Order as passed by the chapter-general of 1776, the first to be held since 1631 and the last one to be convened in Malta. This beautifully written and bound book lies in a local private collection after appearing in an auction in France.
This unique 162-page copy is a certified copy of the statutes which was sent to Rome to get the official acceptance by the Pope as the ultimate head of the brotherhood. The relevant papal bull arrived in Malta in 1799.
This issue also contains the regular cultural review by Cecilia Xuereb as well as an exhaustive review by Christian Attard of Conrad Thake’s book on the Addolorata cemetery.