DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY OF ART FACULTY OF ARTS REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE DEPARTMENT ACADEMIC YEAR 2009-2010 0. STAFF 0.1. Professor Mario Buhagiar B.A. Hons (Lond.), M.Phil. (Lond.), Ph.D. (Lond.), F.S.A. (Lond.) Head of Department Dr Keith Sciberras B.Ed (Hons), M.A., Ph.D. Senior Lecturer Dr Conrad Thake B.E.&A (Hons), M.A., Ph.D. (Berkeley), A.&C.E. Senior Lecturer Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci LL.M., LL.D., Ph.D. Lecturer Rev. Gino Gauci Lic Acc. B.A. (Mil.), Dip. Eccles. Arch. (Mil.) Assistant Lecturer 0.2. Visiting Staff: Mr. Mark Sagona B.A. (Hons), M.A. Mr. Lino Borg B.A. (Hons), M.A. 0.3. Project and Research Assistant: Ms Charlene Vella B.A. 0.4. Secretary: Ms Isabelle Abela B.A. (Hons) 1. STUDENTS 1.1. B.A./B.A. (Hons): Year 1: Twenty-Four (24) students Year 2: Sixteen (16): 11 -B.A. Hons and 5 - B.A. students Year 3: Nineteen (19): 15- B.A. Hons and - 4 B.A. students 1.2. Research M.A. : Ten (10) candidates in different stages of their research 1.3. M.A. Candidate Mr Paul Muscat successfully defended his thesis in a viva voce examination. 1.4. Four M.A. candidates (Ms Charlene Vella, Ms Jessica Borg, Ms Davida Flores, Mr Franco Navarro) have submitted their thesis for examination. 1.5. M.Phil/Ph.D. The Department has two Ph.D. Candidates in the initial stages of their research: a. Mr Christian Attard M.A. 1
Research Area: The Imagery of Death in Mata 1676 1812/13 Supervisor: Dr Keith Sciberras b. Mr Mark Sagona M.A. Research Area: The Decorative Arts in Malta in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries. Supervisor: Professor Mario Buhagiar 2. Visiting Academics 2.1. Professor Alison Yarrington, Department of History of Art, University of Glasgow, was Visiting External Examiner for the June session final examinations andundergraduate dissertation Vivas 2.2. Dr Paul Williamson M.Phil., LittD, FSA, Keeper of Sculpture, Metalwork, Ceramic and Glass at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, had to cancel his lecture visit in April due to the volcanic ash problem. The visit has been postponed to the coming October. 3. Servicing other Departments, Faculties, and Institutes 3.1. In addition to their academic commitments in the Department (research, teaching, tutoring, thesis supervision) the academic staff members also serviced: a. Faculty of the Built Environment (Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Department of the Built Heritage b. International Institute of Baroque Studies c. Faculty of Theology d. M.A. in Hospitaller Studies e. University of the Third Age. 4. RESEARCH PROGRAMME 4.1. The Department received a research grant for The Study of the Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Art and Architecture of the Maltese Island in their European and Central Mediterranean Contexts with Professor Mario Buhagiar as the Director of the Research Programme Ms Charlene Vella received appointment as Programme and Research Assistant 4.2. The following Research initiatives were undertaken and are in progress: a. Study of an Antonello da Messina School Panel Painting in a Maltese Church Collection and archival research on same. Diagnostic tests on paint samples and IR and UV Photography analysis have been undertaken, on private sponsorship, at the Opifcio delle Pietre Dure, Florence, and the ReCoop Restoration Cooperative Laboratories, Malta. The Research Programme is currently seeking sponsorship for a scientific restoration and publishing of the painting. 2
b. Study of Crusader and French Gothic influences on Maltese 13 th century sculpture. Professor Dany Sandron (Institut d Art, Paris IV, Sorbonne), Dr Paul Williamson ( Victoria and Albert Museum), Professor Lawrence Butler (formerly Cambridge), (d) Dr Rita Wood have generously given their expert advice. And academic cooperation. c. Identification and study of Late Medieval and Early Modern objets d art and architectural fragments, in the reserve collection and stores of the National Museum of Archaeology. The cooperation of Heritage Malta and the staff the National Museum of Archaeology is gratefully acknowledged. d. Analysis of the North African, Sicilian, South Italian, and Catalan cross currents that shaped Maltese architecture in the Late Medieval and Early Renaissance periods. The study has concentrated among other things on building materials and techniques, diaphragm arches, pointed and ogee arches, mullioned windows, covered passageways, roundel carvings, and muxrabija windows. e. In connection with (d.) above, Ms. Charlene Vella has undertaken, through private sponsorship, research visits to Tunisia, Sicily, the Puglia region, and Catalunya. The outcome was richly rewarding. 5. INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC COMMITTMENTS 5.1. Professor Mario Buhagiar a. Was received as a Fellow in the Society of Antiquaries of London in an official function at the Head Quarters of the Society, Burlington House Piccadilly, in November, 2009. b. Officially invited to lecture on The Jewish Catacombs of Roman Melite to the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Picadilly. The lecture has been scheduled for Thursday 18 November, 2010. c. Undertook research visits to (i)rome focus: Early Christian and Romanesque architecture (ii) Turin focus: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Art and Architecture (iii) The Cotswolds Focus: Anglo-Saxon and Roman churches. 5.2. Dr Keith Sciberras a. Participated in the Scholars Colloquium Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700 held in conjunction with an exhibition on the same theme at the National Gallery, London. The colloquium (17 October, 2009) was an important scholarly opportunity to discuss issues on works of art with leading experts in the field. b. Delivered Public Lecture at the Museo del Prado, Madrid on La diffusion del caravaggismo en el Mediterràneo (27-30 October 2009) c. Participated in the Scholars Colloquium Caravaaggio e Caravaggeschi a Firenze, organised in conjunction with the opening of the important exhibition on the same theme at the Galleria Palatina di Palazzo Pitti and the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence (21 May, 2010). d. Attended the exhibition opening and participated in the Scholars Colloquium Caravaggio: Friends and Foes organised in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition on the same theme at Whitfields Fine Arts, London (25-27 May, 2010). e. Participated in the Scholars Colloquium Caravaddio, organised in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition on the same theme at the Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome (19 February, 2010). 3
f. Research visit with Professor David Stone, Univeersity of Delaware to the exhibition Ritorno del Barocco: Da Caravaggio a Vanvitelli, at the Museo di Capo di Monte, Naples (26-29 March, 2010) 5.3. Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci Between August and September 2010: Research activity on a. Provincial and Insular Art b. Antonio Sciortino c. British Academy of Arts in Rome d. Anton Agius and Gothic Art The Research activity was carried out in: a.london: Warburg Institute, British Library, National Gallery, Royal Academy, National Archives (Kew), British Council, Royal Society of Arts, Victoria and Albert Museum, other British Institutions. b. Paris: Louver, Musé d Orsay. Academic Activities: a.seminar on Franco-Maltese Relations at the Malta Embassy in Paris (March, 2010) b. Public Discussion Apap, Cremona, and St Paul, Old University, Valletta (May, 2010) c. Seminar Art and Religion, Mdina Cathedral Museum (July, 2010) d. Participation with a paper on The Nose and the Arts in the Mediterranean Rhinoplasty Seminar and Course (January, 2010) e.art and Culture Consultant to the Strait Street Rehabilitation Project, Valletta f. Participant in Dr John Schoffield s book-project on Valletta (Heritage-London) Exhibitions: a.curated Collective Student Exhibition of Examination Artworks: Wignacourt Museum (November 2009}. Inaugurated by Professor Mario Buhagiar b. Solo exhibition A La Recherche du Temps Perdu A Mediterranean Retrouve Malta Embassy in Paris (February, 2010). Inaugurated by H.E. Dr Mark Miggiani and Dr Marjore Trusted c.solo exhibition 27 Crucifixions, Rembrandt and One Resurrection, Mdina Cathedral Museum (July 2010). Inaugurated by Rev. Mgr. V. Borg 5.4. Dr Conrad Thake Research in Progress: a.the works of architect William Scamp in Malta 1841-1845 b. British Colonial architecture in Malta Reseach Visits: a.tunisia (Sousse, El Jaim, Kairwan) Focus on Islamic Architecture b. Rome Focus on Renaissance and Baroque Architecture. 6. ACADEMIC AND CULTURAL CONSULTANCY 6.1. Residence of the German Ambassador, Lija: Drawing-up of an art-historical report: Professor Mario Buhagiar and Ms Charlene Vella (February, 2010) 4
6.2. Parish Church of St Cajetan, Hamrun: Consultancy on restoration of paintings and dome and drawing up of art historical report: Professor Mario Buhagiar and Ms Charlene Vella. On going project. 6.3. Casa Isabella, Mdina: Consultancy on the architecture, historical significance, and restoration, Drawing up of an art historical report: Professor Mario Buhagiar and Ms Charlene Vella. On going project. 7. PUBLICATIONS 7.1. Professor Mario Buhagiar a. Essays of Maltese Archaeology and Antiquities, Midsea Books. Forthcoming 2011. b. Outlines of Maltese History Revisited, co-authored with Charlene Vella. Midsea Books. Forthcoming 2011. c. An Antonello School Painting in Malta, co-authored with Charlene Vella. Forthcomomg. 7.2. Dr Keith Sciberras a.baroque Painting in Malta, Midsea Books 2009 b. Three Paintings by Francesco Noletti at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Bulletin 08, Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao (Bilbao, 2010) c. Mattia Preti che si ripete, Centro Storico = Pedara (Cataniam 2010) d. Imago Sancti Pauli in Insula Melite: The Representtattion of St aul in Malta between 1570-1798 in A. Pace and J. Azzopardi (eds), St Paul in Malta and the Shaping of a National Identity (Malta, 2010). e. Caravaggio Double Fugitive Italian Journal, New York, vol. 20, no. 3 (2010). f. Caeavaggio at the Crossroads in ARS Revusta de Arte y Coleccionismo, Ano 3, no.7 (Madrid, 2010) g. The Brush and the Cross, The Cross and the Brush: Mattia Preti, Knight of Malta, in Stefania Macioce ed., I Cavalieri di Malta, Caravaggio e l arte dell cammino dei secoli, Universita La Sapienza, Forthcoming (Rome, 2010) h. Roma Fuori Roma, Roman Baeoque Sculpture for the Knights of Malta, in Stefania Macioce ed. I Cavalieri di Malta, Caravaggio e l Arte dei cammino dei secoli, Unversita La Sapienza. Forthcoming (Rome, 2010). 7.3. Dr Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci a.apap, Cremona and St Paul, Horizons (Malta, 2009) b. The Nude, in Patrick Dalli: The HumanFigure in Art, Midsea Books (Malta, 2010) c. Two Artists:Velasquez-Picasso-Las Meninas, co-authored with Marjorie Trusted. Forthcoming d. Antonio Sciortino and Les Gavroches. Forthcoming. e. Antonio de Saliba, Melchiorre Cafa and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, The Independent on Sunday,(Malta) 22 August, 2010. f. Vasilii Perov s Troika and Antonio Sciortino s Les Gavroches, The Independent on Sunday (Malta) 23 May 2010. g. Anton Agius, Lenin, and Manuel Dimech, The Independent of Sunday (Malta), 22 June 2010. 7.4. Dr Conrad Thake a. Un concorso internazionale per la ricostruzione del teatro dell opera a Valleta co-authored with Mario Pisani, Palladio no. 42, Instituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Libreria dello Stato (Roma), 77-88 b. The Restoration of St Cathaldus Dhapel, Rabat, Treasures ofmalta, vol. 16, no. 2. c. Modern Vernacular: The Early Works of Richard England. Forthcoming 2011. e. Valletta A Case-Study of Renaissance City Planning, Sacra Militia. Forthcoming. 5
7.5. Ms Charlene Vella a. Antonio Buhagiar (1906-1998): The Man and the Artist, Treasures of Malta, vol, 16 no.3 b. Edward Caruana Dingli (1876-1950) Portraits, Views and Folkloristic Scences Book Review, Treasures of Malta, vol. 16 no. 3. c. Sculpture in Malta in the Early Post-Muslim Period in J. Grima ed. Collected Essays on Maltese History, The Malta Historical Society. Forthcoming December 2010. d. Two Architectural Elemeents in the National Museum of Archaeology, in C. Vella ed., Proceedings of History Week 2009, The Malta Historical Society. Forthcoming 2010. e. An Antonello School Painting in Malta, co-athored with Mario Buhagiar, Miidsea Books. Forthcoming f. The Outlines of Maltese History Revisited, Forthcoming Midsea Books 2011. Professor Mario Buhagiar Ph.D. (Lond.), FSA (Lond.) Head Department of History of Art 23 September 2010 6