The Tapestry Chamber

This dazzlingly beautiful room was originally the Council Chamber of the Order of St John, set in the heart of the Grand Masters' Palace, in Valletta. It was from this room that much of the administration of the island micro-state of Malta was conducted during the 17th and 18th centuries.

In 1921, it became the seat of Malta's first Parliament upon the granting of a self-government Constitution. After the attainment of independence in 1964, it continued to house Parliament until 1976, when the House was moved into the much larger hall that had until then served as the armoury.

The chamber is sumptuously decorated. The famous series of Gobelins tapestries were commissioned by Grand Master Perellos as a gift to the Order. The 10 large tapestry panels are based on a series of drawings executed by Albert Eckhout during an expedition to South America and Africa, undertaken by Prince Maurice of Nassau between 1636 and 1644 on behalf of the Dutch India Company. The earlier frieze above the tapestries is painted with a series of naval scenes recording the exploits of the Order's fleet.

The decoration of this room is a reminder of an age when images, information and knowledge travelled much more slowly, and spread much less widely, than they do today. The decoration of the room is not only stunningly beautiful, it is also a vast pictorial lesson in geography and history. Though not conceived as a museum in the modern sense, the ensemble constituted a virtual museum of knowledge and memory. The concentration of rare and exotic images from the edges of the known world, together with the historical record of naval victories closer to home, underlined and reinforced the temporal power that was wielded from this very room.

This series is appearing every Saturday in collaboration with Miranda Publishers. Photo taken from Museums of Malta 360°.

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