Cotoner monument

It is the norm in European countries and elsewhere that monuments of artistic value, mostly in bronze, displayed in the open, are substituted by bronze or fibreglass replicas after being restored. The originals are then preserved in museums.

Such was the case in Malta of Sciortino's Les Gavroches at the Upper Barracca Gardens.

However, it appears that the not less famous bust of Grand Master Cotoner at Notre Dame Gate, Vittoriosa, will be exposed again to the elements and eventual erosion after it was expertly restored recently.

Besides, the gate's ornamental stonework and the bust itself risk damage during the difficult process to place the bust in its niche.