An ambitious preservation project involving patient, intricate and laborious processes of restoration is currently underway at The Palace Armoury. The exercise involves conserving authentic items of clothing, armour and weapons at The Armoury, coupled with the creation from scratch of period clothing that will dress up a number of life-size mannequins
The project which started in 2007 is intended to render highly visible the evolution of the Knights whose rich history spans 300 years. The project is being supported by The Palace Armoury patron GasanMamo Insurance Ltd.
“The Palace Armoury is among the most valuable historic sites in Europe,” said Albert P. Mamo, Managing Director, GasanMamo. “It is this understanding that has spurred us to contribute towards safeguarding such an important part of our history and heritage.” The leading insurance company has been associated with Heritage Malta since 2006, with sponsorship funds going towards the upgrade of the museum displays and also in respect of an educational experience for children through the Young Knights Educational Programme.
Conservation of original suits of armour
A team of five conservators is working on the conservation of original suits of armour dating back to the 16th Century. Six suits have already been fully restored with another 15 lined up for completion. Work is being carried out at Heritage Malta’s conservation centre in Bighi and at The Palace Armoury workshop. Curator Robert Cassar is supervising this part of the project led by Architect Ruben Abela from Bighi’s Metals, Stone & Glass Section. The restored suits of armour are to be fitted on mannequins representing the Infantry (foot soldiers).
Armour leather accoutrements
Sword belts, sword straps and buckle stays are being crafted as historically accurate replicas, in order to dress up twenty mannequins. Craftsmen are cutting, dying and bending the leather and all pieces will then assembled as necessary. Various pieces will also form a complete unit for the rapier sheath. Two different types of small belt straps are mounted to the purposely-made small buckles, and brass rosettes are then attached to them. The latter are being fashioned in-house, copied from the few surviving originals by means of a purposely-made die. These small three-piece units will be mounted onto the original armour to latch the various parts of armour together.
Conservation of original rapiers
A number of original 16th Century rapiers were identified for conservation and are now nearly fully restored. New leather sheaths are being made, modelled on one original lone survivor in the Armoury’s collection. The rapiers will complement the suits of armour.
Leather boots and shoes
Research was conducted to source the ideal designs for footwear. After studying various period portraits, four designs were chosen and fabricated. Tanning is currently underway and when the boots are ready will be fitted onto the mannequins.
Designs for period clothing
After extensive research, scores of different designs, each for a specific mannequin, have been drawn to detail by Palace Armoury technical consultant Michael Stroud. Cloth of different texture including brocade, damask, lace and cotton is being sourced. Some material is hard to find in Malta but enough has been sourced for starters and seamstresses have already started working in earnest on this part of the project.
Study of period facial grooming
Mr Stroud is also undertaking studies to present the mannequins’ facial features as true to the period as possible with different complexions and complemented with beards and moustaches.
Heritage Malta Chairman Joseph Said affirmed that Heritage Malta was extremely grateful for the support of GasanMamo. It was through the generous patronage of such sponsors that The Palace Armoury, which hosts more than 100,000 visitors annually, could present to its public a different and highly interesting authentic experience.
“We want to praise all those involved in this project,” said Mr Mamo. “Their passion and dedication are fuelling an exceptional museum experience, the benefits of which will be shared by Maltese and tourists alike. At GasanMamo we wanted to pass on our love for Malta’s rich history and heritage to the public and share the benefits of our patronage with them. We will all be able to re-visit the past military glories of the Knights of St John very soon!”
The Palace Armoury has one of the world’s greatest arms collections dating back to the 15th century housed in their original buildings and showing the most visible and tangible symbols of the rich history of the Knights. Although only a small proportion of its original splendour, the Armoury still contains abundant material of Italian, German, French and Spanish origin that came from major arms production centres. Exotic examples of Turkish armour are also displayed in the Islamic & Ottoman section as well as a rare example of a working arsenal surviving in its original building.