The President of Malta, His Excellency George Vella, visited the Throne Room, the location of the Pérez d’Aleccio Great Siege Wall paintings at the Grandmaster’s Palace, Valletta, to discuss the progress of the conservation project on this important cycle of paintings. Financed through donations raised by the University of Malta’s Research, Development and Innovation Trust (RIDT), the cost of this conservation project, with a proposed end date of December 2021, amounts to €300,000. The project is being led by , Head of the Department of Conservation and Built Heritage within the Faculty for the Built Environment together with lead conservator Ms Jennifer Porter. The conservation team includes the Department’s professional conservators, other conservators, also from Heritage Malta, as well as a team of graduates following an MSc in the Conservation of Decorative Architectural Surfaces.
The site visit took place on Wednesday 11 November 2020. H.E. was welcomed by Rector Prof. Alfred J. Vella who outlined how RIDT managed to raise the initial financing for the project through two donations from the Gasan Foundation and the Planning Authority. The Rector reiterated the significance of the project both in terms of the conservators’ commitment towards the professional, scientific conservation of this important work of art which represents the four-month siege in a narrative sequence of 12 episodes, interspaced by allegorical figures. He also highlighted the importance of the project in the education of a new group of young, professional conservators, and praised the cooperation of the Department with Heritage Malta.
His Excellency commended the efforts of all those involved in this project which seeks to conserve an important part of Maltese history, being the most detailed and historically accurate testimony illustrating the 1565 Great Siege. He also expressed his pleasure that this important work is being held under the auspices of the Office of the President.
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