Valletta 1http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/sandamichaela-2282516-malta1/

Set in a beautiful historic building, the museum presents a multifaceted overview of art and artistic expression in Malta from the late medieval period to the contemporary period. Highlights from the collection on display include paintings by leading local and internationally acclaimed artists, precious Maltese silverware, statuary in marble bronze and wood, fine furniture items and splendid majolica pieces. A significant number of works originally belonged to the Order of the Knights of St John and come from the Magisterial Palace, the various auberges in which the knights took up residence, churches belonging to the Order, and the other places falling directly under the administration of the Order.  Other important acquisitions were added to this original collection through the local and international market, bequests by public spirited individuals, and donations.

The building was originally one of the earliest to be built in Valletta and served as residence to successive knights of the Order of St John. It was later rebuilt during the 1760s by Fra Ramon de Sousa y Silva, a wealthy Portuguese knight of the Order of St John, and adopted as his private residence. By the 1820′s the palace became known as Admiralty House and was the seat of the Commander-in Chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet

Details of Sousa y Silva Palace, then Admiralty House and now housing The National Museum of Fine Arts

Giuseppe Caloriti (1681 - c. 1740) A View of Valletta and the Three Cities

Giuseppe Caloriti (1681 - c. 1740) A View of the Grand Harbour, Marsamxett and Valletta

After Cosimo Fancelli

(1620-1688) St Catherine of

Siena

Two beautiful pieces of arms that could never be used in war are exposed at the first floor of the museum, near the eighteenth-century High Baroque staircase. These are a sword and a dagger made of crystal, with exquisite ornaments that were a present by king Philip the 5th of Spain to the Knights of St. John, in sign of the special relation of friendship and protection between the kingdom of Spain and the island of the knights

The crystal sword

The Sousa y Silva Palace hosted high-ranking personalities both as residents and guests. These include Lord Mountbatten of Burma, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George V and Queen Elizabeth of Britain.

Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis)

The painted gallery ceiling

Painted gallery ceiling

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Tradition has it that Maltese Clock adorned houses of the Maltese nobility as far back as the 17th century

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 - 1947) Rythmii Vitae

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Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)

Scating Tennis Player

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)Monument to Anita Garibaldi

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)Dangerous Sport

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)Motherly loveAntonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)Les Gavroches (1907)

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)Woman and Mask

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)Speed

Antonio Sciortino

(Maltese, 1879 – 1947)

Arab Horses

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947)Arab Horses

Antonio Sciortino (Maltese, 1879 – 1947) Arab Horses

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Corrado Corelli (1884-1968) Oxen

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The palace was officially

inaugurated as the National

Museum of Fine Arts in 1974 and has since then been Malta’s

most important museum for the

arts

George Borg (1906-1983) Sacred Heart

Samuel Bugeja (1920-2009) Mother and child

George Borg (1906-1983) Crucifix

George Borg (1906-1983) Crucifix

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu & InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanuwww.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Dvorak Violin Concerto - Carmine Lauri - Malta Philharmonic Orchestra