Event: Fabrics for an Order: a technical and artistic appreciation of the liturgical vestments of the Order of St John
Date: 30 January 2020
Time: 18:30
Venue: National Library, Valletta
The National Library of Malta is hosting 'Power, Costume & Scenography: Making Fashion a Statement in 18th-19th Century Malta', a lecture programme covering 2019-2020. The programme is coordinated by Maroma Camilleri and Mevrick Spiteri with accompanying exhibitions set up in collaboration with Heritage Malta.
This third lecture, in this series of eight free public lectures, is entitled ‘Fabrics for an Order: a technical and artistic appreciation of the liturgical vestments of the Order of St John’ by Evelyn Baluci. The lecture will be held on Thursday 30 January 2020 at 18:30 at the National Library, Valletta.
In today’s consumerist society, textiles are mass produced by machines and designed on computers. This was not always so. We tend to forget that once textiles were hand-made on looms, utilising yarn which was also manufactured by highly skilled artisans. Fabrics fit for kings and the like, such as those used in the production of liturgical vestments, were crafted using great technical ability and creativity. Some of the most expensive materials available at the time were used, such as silk, gold and silver thread, woven together to form sumptuous cloth in a multitude of weaves and designs.
How were they woven? How were the patterns formed? Words like damask, brocade and velvet come to mind but how exactly were these made? What typologies of designs were used? Were the designs ever specifically made for those who bought them? Were fabrics ever recycled? These are the questions that will be addressed by looking at some examples of Liturgical Vestments from the time of the rule of Order of St John.
All Malta Libraries lectures are free and open to the general public – no prior booking necessary.
For further information and updates about the lecture check out the Facebook event page and any queries can be emailed directly to events.library@gov.mt.