The Italian Cultural Institute Valletta and the Department of Conservation and Built Heritage of the University of Malta present the conference “The hidden wall paintings of the chapel of Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta. Didactic project, study and conservation” by Chiara Pasian and Roberta De Angelis from the Department of Conservation and Built Heritage, University of Malta.

Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta, since its construction in the 16th century, has been home to families of the Knights of the Order of St John, and reached its heyday during the Baroque era.

The little-known chapel within the Palazzo is decorated with two wall paintings, both highly significant from an art historical point of view. Such paintings, indeed, are some of the few Baroque wall paintings in Malta to survive within a domestic context linked to the Knights of the Order of St John. Furthermore, they are some of the few examples of paintings of this kind not having been heavily restored in the 20th century.

In 2016 the Department of Conservation and Built Heritage of the University of Malta started a project for the conservation of these paintings. Such a project has been a core component of the training of emerging professional conservators reading for the MSc programme in the Conservation of Decorative Architectural Surfaces.

The conservation project, which involved archival research, documentation with innovative techniques and scientific analyses in collaboration with researchers and institutions in Malta and abroad, will be concluded this year.

The conference is part of a series of talks dedicated to conservation and restoration organised by the Italian Cultural Institute, Valletta in collaboration with Maltese entities.

The conference take place at the Italian Cultural Institute, St George’s Square, Valletta, on Thursday at 6pm. Admission is free but reservations are required. For more information call 2122 1462 or e-mail segreteria.iiclavalletta@esteri.it.