Architects and their patrons as depicted in Malta in seicento and settecento paintings

Abstract

This dissertation deals with architects and their patrons as depicted in 17th and 18th century paintings. They are two important figures who played a significant role in the architecture scene in Malta. The time frame in discussion, the seicento and settecento period, is deliberately selected because it is the epitome of the architectural and artistic scene in Malta. The dissertation mostly discusses paintings, but there are references to sculptures and engravings which are relevant to the patron being cited. The architects and their patrons are mainly depicted through portraiture paintings. The paintings studied include portraits of architects and military engineers, and portraits of their patrons depicted displaying the architectural project they contributed to. Some of the portraits have already been studied in previous dissertations such as Romina Delia’s dissertation about ‘Secular portraits of the Maltese Nobility, Gentry and Prominent Personalities’, Kenneth Cassar’s dissertation regarding ‘Baroque portraits of Popes, Bishops and High Ecclesiastics in Maltese public collections’ and the dissertation by Jessica Borg concerning ‘Portraits of the Knights of the Order of St. John in Maltese public collections’. The assignment ‘Representation of architects and buildings projects in seicento and settecento local art’, carried out by Christine Kunkler in 2015, served as an excellent source to start from, as it studied various important portraits relevant to my dissertation. The portraits in the assignment were based on those listed in the catalogue of a 1995 exhibition. The exhibition titled ‘Baroque Architecture in Malta’ was organised by the International Institute for Baroque Studies in collaboration with the Cathedral Museum in Mdina. The exhibition was curated by Dr. Conrad Thake and John Azzopardi, and was a first attempt to collect and exhibit paintings, sculpture, drawings of plans and designs, documents, and photographs related to Baroque architecture in Malta. This dissertation aims to study how the architects and military engineers were depicted in paintings, and how their patrons were depicted displaying their work. Overall, the information on these portraits is unfortunately very minimal at best, since the portraits themselves are infrequent, and mostly kept in locations often with no documents. The dissertation will provide a different point of perspective on some of the portraits, suggesting the real meaning behind them and their importance in being used as propaganda to influence the minds and opinions of the citizens. The research is divided into two sections, separating the portraits of architects and the portraits of their patrons. The first chapter is dedicated solely to architects and military engineers, and discusses how they are depicted through portraiture and their standing in society. The introduction on the portraits of architects is followed with a catalogue of portraits of architects and military engineers. The other chapters are concerned with the architects’ patrons, which are being divided according to the different hierarchies of society. These are classified in portraits of Grand Masters of the Order, the ecclesiastical and the secular nobility as patrons of the architects.