Twilight of the gods
Kenneth Zammit Tabona is intrigued by the paintings on the barrel-vaulted Main Hall of Verdala Palace which reveal an ongoing restoration project that spans no less than four centuries
Grandmaster Fra Hughes Loubenx de Verdalle was indeed one of the grandest of the frightfully grand rulers of The Sovereign, Military and Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta.
By the 16th century, almost 100 years after the founding of Valletta, the most prestigious order of chivalry that the world has ever known was well and truly entrenched in Malta and the island, from a remote and expendable outpost of the Habsburg Empire, was being rapidly transformed into a sovereign principality; albeit a monastic one but one that nonetheless was determined to vie with the best artistic trends and fashions in Europe.
It was in the 16th century that Malta finally became a microcosm of Europe; an attribute that it retains to this day and which was a determining factor in our EU membership bid. Verdalle, or the Italicised version as he is more popularly referred to, Verdala, was also a cardinal; a full prince of the Church, an eminence that only later post-Malta grandmasters were given by the Pope as part of their appanage.
Verdala Castle, or as it also known, Verdala Palace, was this grandmaster's magnus opus; a fortified hunting lodge set in one of the most scenically lovely spots in Malta with breathtaking views and blessed with cool breezes to make the enervation of a Maltese summer more bearable.
The palace is surrounded by the Boschetto Gardens with its extensive citrus orchards, although I am almost sure that the hundreds of gnarled Aleppo Pines that because of the wind contort in the most improbable shapes, were laid down during the British Period, while the ancient, dark and mysterious trees in the valley below give one the impression that they may have given shade to Ulysses!
The palace itself is built like a medieaval castle with turrets and crenellations, however, it is obvious that by this time the style was a mere affectation rather like Scottish Baronial was a couple of centuries later.
Like many of the great fortified houses of the period like Selmun, Marnisi or Guarena, the main hall was undoubtedly the hub of the edifice and this is why it is so richly decorated.
The final restoration of the paintings attributed to Filippo Paladini has recently been inaugurated by President Fenech Adami and for the first time in 70 years, since for some inexplicable reason Governor Bonham-Carter had them painted out, the world can appreciate the highly symbolic paintings in all their glory.
I would have said original glory, however, there is another twist to the story for, about 100 years ago; Giuseppe Cali was entrusted with their restoration.
Who knows how many wonderful wall paintings and frescoes in houses and palaces all over Malta and even Gozo have been overpainted at best and consigned to oblivion at worst in the last three centuries as these gods and goddesses, virtues and cherubs became unfashionable in a less heroic and more utilitarian age.
Despite these depredations, as the President attested, he is always struck at how astonished foreign dignitaries are by the artistic and cultural riches of Malta which despite its tiny size make up a splendid patrimony for us to collectively take care of and preserve for posterity.
Therefore the restoration work is never-ending and requires close attention, top expertise and pots of money to be realised.
So where does Paladini stop and Calì start? I spoke to Roberta de Angelis who explained that what we see on the vault itself is practically 100 per cent Calì, while the scenes in the life of the grandmaster in the lunettes is Paladini overpainted by Salvatore Micallef.
What Calì worked on was a similar layout with architectural divisions and swags of fruit and flowers framing the mythological figures that were meant to exalt the sovereign prince.
This is why most of the figures are relatively restrained for an artist as flamboyant and billowy as Calì. It is as if he were working in the 16th century manner.
To an untrained eye the insieme is unmistakably baroque, however, upon closer examination the little giveaways become apparent; the dancing figure of Flora in the centre intrigued me no end as it seemed to be made up of a variety of styles and fashions that still seem at odds with the rest of the layout.
The restorers have decided to leave in the Calì additives which like the putti are the brothers and sisters of the more well-known ones in Café Cordina; a decision that I wholeheartedly agree with as I feel that the works should be as they were in 1938 when they were painted out.
What we see today is a pristine version of the painting's chequered history as at the moment it was made to disappear.
Ms de Angelis explained that the works are not to be called frescoes as they are not executed in the classic wet plaster technique; neither the original possible Paladinis nor the later Calì figures appear to have been done in that technique and they should therefore be called paintings.
Be that as it may the entire hall is dazzlingly splendid and whether the figures are Paladini's, Calì's or mine they play their part beautifully as no one seeing them as one enters the room can fail to be awestruck by their splendour.
The whole palace, like all others worthy of the name, was created to impress; hence the scenes from the life of Grandmaster Verdala in the lunettes; receiving his cardinal's hat and being elevated to the grandmastership.
The project which was overseen by the Curator of Palaces, Bernadine Scicluna, has taken a decade to reach this final stage as inch by inch, face after foot and hand after leg, the mythological figures that this Prince of the Church thought appropriate to decorate his summer retreat, albeit repainted, emerged from the whitewash.
The end result is astoundingly beautiful. As Ms de Angelis explained; the paintings' restoration has revealed an incredibly rich and complex history, probably spanning four centuries, a good part of which still requires extensive study.
The result would definitely be of great benefit not only to the history of Maltese art but also to the history of restoration in Malta.
The project was coordinated by the President's Office and Heritage Malta and involved the cooperation of a number of Maltese and Italian art historians, scientists and restorers.
By the 16th century, almost 100 years after the founding of Valletta, the most prestigious order of chivalry that the world has ever known was well and truly entrenched in Malta and the island, from a remote and expendable outpost of the Habsburg Empire, was being rapidly transformed into a sovereign principality; albeit a monastic one but one that nonetheless was determined to vie with the best artistic trends and fashions in Europe.
It was in the 16th century that Malta finally became a microcosm of Europe; an attribute that it retains to this day and which was a determining factor in our EU membership bid. Verdalle, or the Italicised version as he is more popularly referred to, Verdala, was also a cardinal; a full prince of the Church, an eminence that only later post-Malta grandmasters were given by the Pope as part of their appanage.
Verdala Castle, or as it also known, Verdala Palace, was this grandmaster's magnus opus; a fortified hunting lodge set in one of the most scenically lovely spots in Malta with breathtaking views and blessed with cool breezes to make the enervation of a Maltese summer more bearable.
The palace is surrounded by the Boschetto Gardens with its extensive citrus orchards, although I am almost sure that the hundreds of gnarled Aleppo Pines that because of the wind contort in the most improbable shapes, were laid down during the British Period, while the ancient, dark and mysterious trees in the valley below give one the impression that they may have given shade to Ulysses!
The palace itself is built like a medieaval castle with turrets and crenellations, however, it is obvious that by this time the style was a mere affectation rather like Scottish Baronial was a couple of centuries later.
Like many of the great fortified houses of the period like Selmun, Marnisi or Guarena, the main hall was undoubtedly the hub of the edifice and this is why it is so richly decorated.
The final restoration of the paintings attributed to Filippo Paladini has recently been inaugurated by President Fenech Adami and for the first time in 70 years, since for some inexplicable reason Governor Bonham-Carter had them painted out, the world can appreciate the highly symbolic paintings in all their glory.
I would have said original glory, however, there is another twist to the story for, about 100 years ago; Giuseppe Cali was entrusted with their restoration.
Who knows how many wonderful wall paintings and frescoes in houses and palaces all over Malta and even Gozo have been overpainted at best and consigned to oblivion at worst in the last three centuries as these gods and goddesses, virtues and cherubs became unfashionable in a less heroic and more utilitarian age.
Despite these depredations, as the President attested, he is always struck at how astonished foreign dignitaries are by the artistic and cultural riches of Malta which despite its tiny size make up a splendid patrimony for us to collectively take care of and preserve for posterity.
Therefore the restoration work is never-ending and requires close attention, top expertise and pots of money to be realised.
So where does Paladini stop and Calì start? I spoke to Roberta de Angelis who explained that what we see on the vault itself is practically 100 per cent Calì, while the scenes in the life of the grandmaster in the lunettes is Paladini overpainted by Salvatore Micallef.
What Calì worked on was a similar layout with architectural divisions and swags of fruit and flowers framing the mythological figures that were meant to exalt the sovereign prince.
This is why most of the figures are relatively restrained for an artist as flamboyant and billowy as Calì. It is as if he were working in the 16th century manner.
To an untrained eye the insieme is unmistakably baroque, however, upon closer examination the little giveaways become apparent; the dancing figure of Flora in the centre intrigued me no end as it seemed to be made up of a variety of styles and fashions that still seem at odds with the rest of the layout.
The restorers have decided to leave in the Calì additives which like the putti are the brothers and sisters of the more well-known ones in Café Cordina; a decision that I wholeheartedly agree with as I feel that the works should be as they were in 1938 when they were painted out.
What we see today is a pristine version of the painting's chequered history as at the moment it was made to disappear.
Ms de Angelis explained that the works are not to be called frescoes as they are not executed in the classic wet plaster technique; neither the original possible Paladinis nor the later Calì figures appear to have been done in that technique and they should therefore be called paintings.
Be that as it may the entire hall is dazzlingly splendid and whether the figures are Paladini's, Calì's or mine they play their part beautifully as no one seeing them as one enters the room can fail to be awestruck by their splendour.
The whole palace, like all others worthy of the name, was created to impress; hence the scenes from the life of Grandmaster Verdala in the lunettes; receiving his cardinal's hat and being elevated to the grandmastership.
The project which was overseen by the Curator of Palaces, Bernadine Scicluna, has taken a decade to reach this final stage as inch by inch, face after foot and hand after leg, the mythological figures that this Prince of the Church thought appropriate to decorate his summer retreat, albeit repainted, emerged from the whitewash.
The end result is astoundingly beautiful. As Ms de Angelis explained; the paintings' restoration has revealed an incredibly rich and complex history, probably spanning four centuries, a good part of which still requires extensive study.
The result would definitely be of great benefit not only to the history of Maltese art but also to the history of restoration in Malta.
The project was coordinated by the President's Office and Heritage Malta and involved the cooperation of a number of Maltese and Italian art historians, scientists and restorers.