Nicola Zammit (1815-1899) as an artist and art critic in the context of nineteenth century Malta

Abstract

The focus of this dissertation has been on the artistic production and writings of Dr Nicola Zammit (1815 - 1899) against a Maltese nineteenth century background. Zammit was a qualified medical doctor who devoted most of his time and energy in being an artist, critic, and a designer of architecture, statuary and various objets d'art. He was also a philosopher, as well as a social and political thinker publishing many writings to express his ideas. His philosophical approach infiltrated his art criticism and his definitions of art and beauty. As a writer and journalist, Zammit was amazingly prolific but it is within the scope of this thesis only to tackle those writings which bear a direct relation to art. When dealing with Nicola Zammit's as an artist, the term "artistic" has been tackled in its widest possible sense. The focus has been on Zammit' s architectural designs and designs for liturgical ob jets d'art because it is in these fields that I have gathered the largest number of specimens which consequently gave me the opportunity to study Zammit's artistic development. It is highly possible that Zammit produced works of art in other media, yet only a very small number of these have been discovered. It is significant that G. Faure', in his book Li Storja ta' Malta u Ghawdex bil Gzejjer Tahhom u il G'rajjiet li saru fihom, that was published during Zammit's lifetime, noted that apart from architectural interventions, and designs for altars and monstrance thrones, Zammit designed monuments and items of furniture. The only works which I have discovered, apart from liturgical objets d'art, are an item of furniture held in a private collection, a public monument situated at the Maglio Gardens, Floriana, and a drawing of the interior of St Paul Shipwrecked Parish Church.