Unique Great Siege wall painting cycle to be restored
The unique Perez D’Aleccio wall painting cycle depicting the Great Siege of 1565 in the main hall of the Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta will undergo a comprehensive restoration so as to return to its original splendour.
The project will see the University of Malta’s Department of Conservation & Built Heritage partner with Heritage Malta to restore this magnificent work of art. The restoration will begin in October 2018 and will take three years to complete. It will cost €300,000; money which will be funded through a mix of European Union funds and a sponsorship from the Gasan Foundation.
The Great Siege cycle was commissioned soon after the completion of Valletta by Grandmaster Jean De La Cassière, who wanted to commemorate the siege, which was a defining moment in the Order’s history, along with the memory of Grandmaster Jean De La Valette, who had led it through the siege but passed away in 1568.
Mattia Perez D’Aleccio, a student of Michelangelo and one of the artists who worked on the Sistine Chapel, was brought to Malta for this purpose, and work started on the cycle in 1575. Taking pride of place in the new palace’s principal hall, it took six years to complete. The 13 frescoes were drawn from many eyewitness accounts of the siege to create a detailed and historically accurate visual documentary of the siege itself, while using different allegories, such as virtue and victory, to divide each painting into a chronological cycle. Today, it remains one of the most important pieces of Malta’s artistic history and continues to serve as an enduring symbol of the modern nation.
The restoration announced on yesterday is a continuation of restoration efforts which started in 2001 and were carried by the University of Dresden. These works, however, were never completed, leaving a third of the cycle still in need of restoration. The next three years will see conservators working to complete the restoration using updated methods to stabilise the paintings, remove the surface soiling that currently darkens the images, and improve the legibility of the cycle as a whole.
In the press conference announcing this restoration, Heritage Malta chairman Anton Refalo lauded the project and announced that €10 million in EU funds are to be used for the benefit of the presidential palace, with half reserved for its restoration and the other half for the construction of a visitor centre.
Professors Alex Torpiano and Alfred Vella, Dean of the Faculty for the Built Environment and Rector of the University of Malta, respectively, spoke of the great responsibility that had been entrusted to the University of Malta in the restoration of these cultural treasures and showed full trust in the experts and students entrusted with this task. Both also reiterated the appeal of Michael Grech, from the Gasan Foundation, for more companies like the Gasan Group to come forward and contribute to the restoration and upkeep of Malta’s heritage.
President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca also addressed those present, saying that this announcement was more of a celebration; a celebration of the country’s cultural heritage, of the widespread collaboration between different people and entities to make the project a reality and of Malta’s own identity.
She also reminded her audience how projects such as these, aside from promoting “priceless and invaluable” works of art, were a continuation on the
commitment that Malta made with the United Nations in 2015 when signing up to a set of sustainable development goals. In this respect, Coleiro Preca said, this was also a celebration of Malta working in an international context. She concluded by appealing to companies in the economic community to take their cue from the Gasan Group and support such initiatives which promote Malta’s history, so that future generations can view and marvel at Malta’s cultural heritage.