Invention, quotation, and beyond : Antonio Sciortino’s project of the ‘Temple of the British Empire to the Unknown Soldier’

Abstract

Antonio Sciortino (1879–1947) is celebrated and revered as Malta’s most renowned sculptor and designer of public monuments of the 20th century. Although he spent most of his career in Rome, it is within the public spaces of Valletta and Floriana, and the gallery space dedicated to him at MUŻA, that one can engage directly with his artistic endeavours. Sciortino’s sculptural works and public monuments have been extensively studied and researched by local art historians. Beyond the realm of sculpture, Sciortino was also highly passionate about monumental architecture. In the aftermath of the First World War, he assiduously pursued a monumental architectural conception known as the ‘Temple of the British Empire to the Unknown Soldier’. In pursuit of his grand vision, Sciortino produced hundreds of sketches and drawings, and an architectural scale model, which today form part of MUŻA’s collection. [Excerpt from the Preface]