Treasures of Malta
Ed. Giovanni Bonello No. 83, Vol. 28, Issue 2
Published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the settin
There is no doubt that mathematics occupies a special position among the sciences and in the educational system. Partly, this is due to the fact that mathe­
Treasures of Malta
Ed. Giovanni Bonello No. 82, Christmas 2021, Vol. 28, No. 1
Published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti
The magnificent 17th-century coral m
Treasures of Malta,
Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti
It had to be something like the latest issue of Treasures of Malta to provide a most welcome modicum of cheer in these bleak times, not least with its striking cover of a detail from a 16th-century frescoed map of Malta hailing the 1565 victory over the Ottomans. It lies in the Hall of Maps at the Vatican, one among several showing the lands over which the pope held authority. In 1732, Louis XV gifted Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena with a fine portrait of himself by Jean Baptiste van Loo. Van Loo took over the commission from the famous portrait painter Hyacinthe Regnaud and managed to paint a most competent work of art, which is one the highlights of the President’s Palace but “which has failed to be given its due academic importance”. Carlos Bongalais’s paper supplies the background to this painting, which has tended to be overlooked in the palace’s collection.