Researched and written by Francesca Balzan, this study has made
extensive use of primary sources to build up a history of
jewellery in Malta, which focuses on the art of jewellery, its
social history and trade practices. It is the first study of its
kind to be published in Malta. The book is in two parts, the
first of which contains essays on historical aspects of the jewellery
while the second part is devoted to analytical case
studies of a number of jewellery items.
"Jewellery has been an item of personal adornment since very
early times and although its use has changed with age and
circumstance, it has all along retained two important functions,
one to complement and enhance physical appearance and the other
to send a message of affluence and social status. Its rich
materials make it a valuable means of wealth storage in a number of culturally different societies. The skill and technical
dexterity that, until the machine took over, were necessary
ingredients in its production, elevate it to the category of a
fine craft. Creative ingenuity has, in addition, on many
occasions, transformed it into a work of art and it is a pity
that its study has not yet received the scholarly attention it
deserves. Francesca Balzan's study makes a notable contribution
to its better appreciation.
The book's primary focus is the closely knit and insular society
of Early Modern Malta when the presence there of a pan-European
Sovereign Order of Hospitaller and Military Knights, drawn from
the haughtiest families of Counter Reformation Europe, injected
the island with a cultured sophistication that changed it into
one of the more significant art centres south of Rome. The
Knights invested in fine buildings and works of art and jewellery
became an increasingly significant ancillary to dress, social
status and religious ornament. One of the merits of the book is
to discuss jewellery in a meaningful art historical and social
context. This broadens the reader's response and opens a window
on the anthropology of jewellery that future studies should
exploit." - from the Foreword by Prof. Mario Buhagiar
- ISBN10 9993272787
- ISBN13 9789993272786
- Publish Date 31 December 2009
- Publish Status Transferred
- Publish Country MT
- Imprint Midsea Books Ltd,Malta
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 262
- Language English