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The European Library
MALTA
This page is maintained by
Mr. Philip Borg
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Grognet, Giorgio , Atlante dei disegni numerati in referenza all'Atlantide di Giorgio Grongnet [sic] |
| This splendid manuscript was drawn by architect Giorgio Grognet (1774-1862) of Mosta church fame. Here he describes in dazzling watercolours his visions of the Maltese islands as the remains of Atlantis. |
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Coronelli, Vincenzo Maria , Isola di Malta olim Melita descritta a dedicate dal P. Coronelli ... in Venetia 1689 |
| Map of Malta by Venetian cosmographer and cartographer Padre Vincenzo Maria Coronelli (1650-1718), showing also the coats of arms of the Grand Masters of the Order of St John. |
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Caoursin, Guillaume , Rhodorium Historia |
| Rare incunabulum relating the history of Rhodes written by Guillaume Caoursin, Vice Chancellor of the Order of St John in Rhodes. |
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Unknown , Officium Beatae Virginis |
| This 15th century codex on parchment is decorated with gold initials and beautiful miniatures depicting scenes from the Bible. |
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Unknown , Journal de Malte, feuille nationale, politique, morale, commerciale et littéraire [1798] |
| Prospectus of the first newspaper published in Malta, official organ of the French administration which conquered the island in 1798. |
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Painted by Master Robin Fournier of Avignon, text compiled by Jean Macellardand and written by Pierre Pierre of Istres , Untitled manuscript depicting the life of St. Anthony the Abbot |
| This manuscript was produced for the Abbey of St. Antoine de Viennois in Dauphiné, France, where, according to an ancient tradition, the relics of St. Anthony the Abbot, the hermit saint of Egypt, were preserved. The only other extant duplicate of this work is found among the manuscripts collected by the Medicis and preserved at the Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence (Ms. Laur. Med. Pal. 143). From the colophon at the end of the Malta manuscript, we learn that the pictures were copied from a large linen cloth which was hung in the Church of St. Anthony on his feast-day (January 17) and other festivals and on which were depicted the life and acts of the saint. It states that the illustrations in the manuscript were painted by Master Robin Fournier of Avignon and the Latin text was compiled by Jean Macellard and written by Pierre Pierre of Istres, Provence. The manuscript was completed on April 14th, 1426 and donated to the monastery by the Prior, Guigue Robert de Tullins, who had ordered the book to be painted and written, on condition that it never be taken out of the church. The manuscript, which measures 400 mm by 280 mm, originally consisted of 102 leaves or 204 pages and comprised 200 paintings, four of which later went missing, on parchment leaves. The pictures were painted in semi-grisaille with emerald green and vermilion. The last picture of the series represents St. Anthony with the kneeling donor, Prior Guigue Robert. Under each picture is a short Latin description and the source is usually given, although the scribe of the Malta manuscript, Pierre Pierre, left out a few of the references unlike the scribe of the Florence manuscript who inserted all of them. Following the suppression of the Order of St. Antoine de Viennois in 1775 and its merging with the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John which at the time ruled the Maltese Islands, the manuscript, together with several other items, travelled to Malta in 1781. It was deposited among the holdings of the then Bibliotheca Publica and is today considered to be one of the most treasured possessions of the National Library of Malta. |
Exhibitions
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Malta - Exhibitions
The National Library of Malta currently features the following exhibitions and web-exhibitions.
The National Library of Malta currently features the following exhibitions and web-exhibitions.
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