Eclecticism in the decorative arts in Malta : assimilation, variety and cosmopolitanism in the works of Nicola Zammit (1815-1899)

Abstract

The works of Nicola Zammit are an artistically important chapter in the story of the ecclesiastical decorative arts in late nineteenth-century Malta. Zammit was something of a polymath who in 1885 was described as «lustro ed ornamento del paese. He was one of Malta’s finest minds and impressively gifted: a medical doctor, architect, designer, art critic, philosopher, editor and writer. He was especially an extraordinary designer, producing works of particular sophistication. The connection with the Church had started with his designs for numerous architec- tural alterations and accretions to several of Malta’s extant ecclesiastical structures. These, like his decorative designs, employ a wide spectrum of styles. His 1878 design for the marble and bronze decoration for the Rosary transept of the Valletta Dominicans, epitomises the artist’s elegant and creative eclectic qualities. As a result of his creative genius, Zammit came to command particular respect in Maltese society. He was thus Malta’s participant in the Esposizione Vaticana, for which he submitted an unspecified work in silver, obtaining a silver medal.