Heritage Malta - Conservation Division

The gold borders framing the wall paintings at the Gran Salon within the Archaeology Museum are being meticulously cleaned from layers of dirt and grime that accumulated over the years. Ion-exchange resins are applied to the gold with a brush and left for a few minutes before being rinsed from the surface. The second photo below shows the gold before cleaning on the left and after cleaning on the right. This project is being supported by BOV.

Il-borduri tad-deheb madwar il-pitturi tal-ħajt fil-Gran Salon ġewwa l-Mużew tal-Arkeoloġija qed jitnaddfu mill-ħmieġ u trab li akkumulaw matul is-snin. Dan qed iseħħ permezz ta' Ion-exchange resins li jiġu applikati fuq id-deheb b’pinzell u jitħallew jaħdmu għal ftit minuti qabel ma' jitneħħew. It-tieni ritratt hawn juri d-deheb qabel it-tindif fuq ix-xellug u wara t-tindif fuq il-lemin. Dan il-proġett qed isir permezz tas-sapport minn BOV.

Our warranted conservators are currently undertaking a continuous professional development course delivered by Stephen Hackney, regarding the detection and mitigation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in museum environments . This is composed of a theoretical component at the School of Arts, Valletta and a practical component being carried out at various Heritage Malta sites. During the practical element of the course, conservators have placed Acid-Detecting (A-D) Strips into museum showcases in order to identify the possible presence of VOCs.

Il-konservaturi tagħna qed jagħmlu kors immexxi minn Stephen Hackney, dwar l-identifikazzjoni u l-mitigazzjoni ta’ elementi organiċi volatili ("VOCs") f’mużewijiet. Dan jikkonsisti f' parti teoretika fl-Iskola tal-Arti, il-Belt Valletta u element prattiku li qed jitwettaq f’diversi siti ta’ Heritage Malta. Matul l-element prattiku tal-kors, il-konservaturi poġġew strixxi fil-vetrini tal-mużewijiet, sabiex jiksbu aktar informazzjoni dwar il-preżenza ta’ "VOCs".

Today, we have lost one of the greats in art history. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Mario Buhagiar, founder and former head of the Department of Art and Art History.

Through his years of teaching, research, and advocacy, he guided and formed generations of students — many of whom today serve as conservators, researchers and art historians within Heritage Malta. His influence lives on not only in his scholarly work, but in the professionals who continue to safeguard our patrimony.

We are grateful for his dedication, wisdom, and steadfast commitment to Malta’s art and cultural heritage — shaping the very foundations of the field as we know it today.

Our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. May he rest in peace 🕊️.

As we close off the Carnival festivities and put away our masks… 🎭

One mask remains.

Watching over Villa Portelli in Kalkara, this striking grotesque figure sits proudly above an arched doorway — a symbolic guardian believed to ward off evil spirits and ill intentions.

As restoration works continue on the building, our stone conservators are carefully undertaking stratigraphic sampling to uncover traces of the colour that once adorned this sculptural relief.

Stay tuned as this silent guardian begins to reveal its story once more. ✨

Hekk kif nagħlqu l-festivitajiet tal-Karnival u nwarrbu l-maskri tagħna… 🎭

Maskra waħda tibqa’.

Għassa fuq Villa Portelli fil-Kalkara, din il-figura groteska impressjonanti tinsab fuq bieb — gwardjan simboliku maħsub li jbiegħed l-ispirti ħżiena u l-intenzjonijiet ħżiena.

Hekk kif ix-xogħlijiet ta’ restawr ikomplu fuq din il-binja, il-konservaturi tal-ġebel tagħna qed jieħdu kampjuni stratigrafiċi bir-reqqa biex jiskopru traċċi tal-kulur li darba kien iżejjen din l-iskultura.

Ibqgħu segwu din il-paġna hekk kif dan il-gwardjan sieket jibda jiżvela l-istorja tiegħu għal darb’oħra. ✨

Dearest Gentle Reader,

On this most romantic of days, society has acquired two most intriguing visages from MUŻA — a lady of powdered elegance and a gentleman in the boldest crimson, his fingers poised above a waiting melody.

Her gaze is as composed as her silk bodice; his expression hints at talent and mischief alike. Yet one must wonder… is it merely music that lingers between them, or something far more tender?

For what is Valentine’s Day, if not a symphony of stolen glances and unspoken devotion?

May your day be filled with sweet confessions and a love bold enough to be heard.

Yours truly,
Lady Whistledown 🖋️

Paintings are sometimes damaged by tears in their canvas, thereby demanding the complex treatment of tear repair. The tear represented below is being treated through the adhesion of both linen threads and fine stainless steel rods. These are applied perpendicularly to the tear using a stable adhesive. The threads applied are varied in length in order to make up an irregular edge at the back of the painting, which will not cause deformations to form at its front.

Il-pitturi huma magħmulin minn tila li xi drabi jkollha ħsarat bħat-tiċrit, li jirrikjedu trattament kumpless. It-tiċrita rrappreżentata hawn taħt qed tiġi ttrattata billi nwaħħlu ħjut minn tila sekondarja, flimkien ma' vireg irqaq tal-istainless steel. Dawn huma applikati fid-direzzjoni opposta tat-tiċrita bl-użu ta' kolla stabbli. Il-ħjut applikati jkunu ta' tul differenti, sabiex jiffurmaw tarf irregolari fuq wara tal-pittura, biex ma jikkawżax deformazzjonijiet fuq il-quddiem tagħha.