Flowers of silver and silk

Anna Balzan's fingers move swiftly as she inserts small glass beads into a piece of silver wire threaded with silk. She is one of the few locals who still makes ganutell, an art form popular in the 16th century.

The art of making ganutell - intricate flowers made from wire, silk thread and tiny glass beads - was dealt a near fatal blow by the Second World War. But there has been a revival in recent years and it is now even finding its way into bridal dresses.

Mrs Balzan had created fresh flower decorations for 40 years. But, due to a desire to take up new forms of art, she took a month-long course in ganutell and has never looked back.

The word is derived from the Spanish word canutillo or the Italian word canutiglia.

A lot of preparatory work goes into making ganutell. Gold and silver wire and the thread are twisted together. The colour of the silk is the dominant colour of the petal or leaf and must therefore be chosen with care. Glass beads and pearls are inserted in the wire to create beautiful flowers.

The process involves weaving individual leaves and petals and stringing them together to form bouquets, which are often displayed under glass domes to keep the dust away as the finished product is too delicate to clean.

Mrs Balzan says that before she starts working on individual petals or leaves, she already has a picture in her mind of the finished product, which is quite a feat considering how many flowers go into it.

"Most of my work ends up in churches. The biggest piece I have done so far can be seen in the church of St Paul in Valletta and contains over 3,000 leaves. It adorns part of a marble column on which St Paul is said to have been beheaded. The rest of the column is found in a church in Rome, and the piece in Malta was donated by one of the Popes."

Ganutell was originally made by nuns. The standard of work was so high that the Knights of St John commissioned them to produce beautiful mounts that could be used as gifts to popes and royalties. Grand Master De Rohan once sent a piece of ganutell to Catherine of Russia. Despite the revival, ganutell cannot easily be found for sale. Though its texture is similar to filigree, the bouquets created are far more elaborate. Antique wax statues of baby Jesus surrounded by ganutell under a glass dome can often be seen at auctions and fetch quite high prices.

Those who would like to see examples of the art rather than own it can visit one of the many churches where feasts are being celebrated. Ganutell forms part of the special decorations displayed on the main altar.