Palace Armoury masterpieces in Paris

The streets and Metro stations of Paris will soon be showing large posters announcing a major exhibition in collaborative effort between France and Malta.

The exhibition titled 'Between the Battlesword and the Cross: Masterpieces of the Armoury of Malta' is being held between October 21 and January 11 at the Musée de l'Armée.

The museum, located at the Hotel des Invalides, was built by Louis XIV to lodge his veteran troops and disabled soldiers, and now also houses the tomb of Napoleon.

The exhibition will be inaugurated jointly by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and French Defence Minister Hervé Morin at the Turenne Hall, which has been restored specifically in time for this event.

The exhibition is one of the main highlights of the cultural season of the French EU Presidency and will include artefacts from the museums managed by Heritage Malta as well as from the Invalides, the Musée de la Marine, Epernay, and the Royal Armouries, Leeds.

The main attraction is the sword and dagger of Grand Master La Valette, which is currently displayed at the Louvre Museum. Besides armour, the exhibition will also comprise various arms, including cannon and paintings. A public conference is also being organised with various speakers from Malta, France and the UK.

The idea for the exhibition was the brainchild of Ambassador Vicki Ann Cremona. The eye-catching poster was designed by Daniel Cilia, who was also commissioned by the French museum to design the catalogue.

The inauguration of this event marks the beginning of Malta Week in Paris, which will also include another exhibition on endangered species entitled 'Monde Sauvage: Regards et Emotions', that consists of photographs by Joe Zammit-Lucia, whose photography is concerned with environmental conservation.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on October 23 at the Galerie de l'Évolution, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle at the Jardin de Plantes in Paris. Other events include an art exhibition at the embassy by Louis-Philippe Mifsud, a Franco-Maltese artist, and a conference on Maltese in France and French in Malta: 1914-1918 by Patrice Sanguy, chairman of the Societé Maltaise de France - Cercle Vassalli, and the historian Catherine Pigeon-Vella.