This article is meant to review the various influences that created a new décor in Malta during British Rule.

On 12 June 1798 the last Grand Master, Ferdinand von Hompesch, surrendered to Napoleon and the island of Malta came under French Rule. Malta could hardly have been influenced by any styles and décor, since the two-year stay on the island by the French was too short and turbulent; any French characteristics had come through the Order of St John.

Following the Great Siege, the Knights set about building a new city on the headland behind Fort St Elmo which they called Valletta, after their Grand Master. There they built their handsome auberges, palazzi and private homes. Other prestigious houses were also found in the three cities of Senglea, Cospicua and Vittoriosa, as well as Zebbug, Zabbar, Zejtun and Qormi.

An 18th century traveller remarked that the palaces had well-appointed tables, beautiful tapestries and frescoes painted by various artists. Sir Walter Scott was also struck by the elegance and richness of St John’s Cathedral.

There are many examples that describe the wealth of the Order and the accumulation of objects of art that one can safely assume remained in Malta when the Knights were ousted from the island.

At the Order’s departure, their houses were dismantled and their belongings, mostly furniture, paintings, a quantity of silver and other precious items, were either auctioned, left with friends (the nobility) or changed hands secretly under various forms of transaction.

Today, many of those beautiful houses have become dilapidated and have lost all their elegance. Unfortunately, the large mansions situated in Valletta, still showing the coats-of-arms, have been turned into offices, shops or one-bedroom apartments (kerrejjiet).

On 5 September 1800, the French General Vaubois, signed the capitulation of the French and Malta came under British rule. Captain Bell was elected President of the Provisional Government. A period of tea-parties, punctuality and simple interiors was introduced. In San Anton Palace, the heavy inlaid furniture and hard chairs were gradually replaced by lighter English pieces and comfortable settees. The heavy damask curtains were replaced with cotton ones, with bright floral patterns. The rooms came to be known as the Bishop’s Room, De Paul’s Suite and the Red Lounge. Even the appearance of the gardens was changed and the walls of the carriage drive were trellised and decorated with English roses – a palace with typical British taste.

At this stage the British forces were reorganising the main buildings for their personal use such as offices, schools, a museum and official residences. Periodically, clearance sales took place and both the Maltese and British took advantage of these auctions and purchased interesting pieces.

From time to time items of Maltese furniture turned up in auction rooms in England, but it seems that a good number of them found their way back to Malta. It is worth mentioning a fine collection of Maltese furniture and silver exhibited at St John’s Gate Clerkenwell in London.

This era ushered in the discovery of a new philosophy that gave craftsmen the initiative to express their creativity without the Knights’ influence. It was an epoch mixed with fresh curiosity about strange styles and customs unknown to Maltese tradition. The island had survived the worst and was passing through a period of continuous prosperity. Complete changes were taking place in the domestic field and culture, and the Maltese were becoming acquainted with different decors and styles of furniture.

Unorthodox fashions in Maltese society were quickly accepted as part of the interior. The intimate arrangement reflected two things: the personal approach to a more comfortable style of living and the general character of the 19th century.

Original pieces of furniture imported from Britain were seen in the homes of British personnel stationed in Malta. The Maltese cabinet-makers, influenced by British style and design, copied English furniture and produced a considerable variety of it – designed to adorn the new fashionable décor.

The awareness of space was felt very much later; parts of Maltese society were still faithful to classical ideas, and a busy background was often the result. We must not forget that this kind of furniture, apart from its beauty, is equally valuable for indicating the constant importance of practicality. The best examples in this tradition were made for the convenience of those who were to use them.

Towards the third quarter of the 19th century, as in the rest of Europe, there was also a competition between old styles and the newer, more complicated designs. An epoch with a surge of previous styles took place: Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque including the revival of Neo-Classical designs combining together the periods of Charles X and Napoleon II of France.

The great Victorian era in Britain was felt in Malta and acquired popularity over other contemporary styles, and this was seen in the first decades of the 20th century. All these styles helped to define the look of interiors of this period.

Perhaps the Maltese obsession with usefulness, the characteristic of collecting good items of furniture but upsetting a neat décor, was never really appreciated by the British. Soft pastel colours are well linked with English tastes. The Maltese, on the other hand, preferred vibrant and daring surroundings. The drawing-room “is-sala”, was generally painted in bright strong, colours associated with richness and luxury and reserved for the best rooms. Walls covered with pictures, and other decorative ornaments scattered on various pieces of furniture, were the favourite contemporary fashion.

Framed and unframed photos were displayed on tables and on the fireplace, along with a variety of vases. The décor is the product of its time and the marble statues are a vivid reminder of that age. Fabric was a vital source of colour in an important room and one of the key elements in decoration. Settees were covered with red damask or brocade and matched the heavy curtains.

Industrious ladies were very enthusiastic about embroidering their table cloths and doilies. Chair covers and cushions were worked in exuberant compositions of flowers and figures. This kind of décor was also seen in the dining-room and study – a setting able to unify the best visual impressions of the time.

In many European countries, a reaction had set in to the impression of the over-stuffed, befringed and plushy interiors but, unfortunately, in Malta the custom has never disappeared completely. Parts of the island are still influenced by this way of thinking up to the present.

During this period, it was not enough for members of fashionable society to live in tasteful surroundings; it was equally important to entertain. Particular evenings were reserved for meeting friends, “ir-riceviment”. Therefore, “is-sala” was a peaceful room where conversation flowed along with rosolin – a light drink for the ladies, and brandy for the gentlemen. Tables, stands, small silver glasses and trays all testify to the importance of this ritual.

A few members of Maltese society had a second house, in addition to their town house, either in the country or by the sea. The furniture and décor for this kind of household sought to escape from the prevailing fashionable style and, perhaps, helped to form the background to 20th century tastes.

In the first decades of the 20th century, hand-made furniture suffered from competition from the abundant number of machine-planed pieces. Mechanisation destroyed the need for individual talents. The availability of furniture impacted on bourgeoisie houses by designing a style appropriate to the surroundings. The ambience was integrated with the central motif of traditional houses.

To a certain degree, a new type of patronage developed. Production was henceforth to serve the needs of two different kinds of buyers: the discerning few and the general public. This duality is very characteristic of the period, but it was the desire of the upper classes to arrange their rooms with original pieces, which later became very rare. The other sector of society clung to a façile imitation of antique furniture.

After the Second World War many parts of the island that had been destroyed by enemy action were gradually rebuilt into smaller houses and flats. Sliema was not greatly damaged, compared to the harbour towns. Although before the War it was considered a summer resort, it was slowly becoming a fashionable residential town, and property was then considerably cheaper.

The new types of décor revealed a society moving forward with confidence and curiosity. These were the pioneers who contributed to the development of the Maltese country house style by weeding out clutter and introducing original colours and furnishing styles, not heavy but with a modern flair.

The harmony of these schemes was very much inspired by the knowledge of decoration of past decades. The results were not slavish copies but a style that oscillated between European and Maltese antiques. Balancing groups, or pairs, of sofas became more appropriate than scattering furniture about the room.

The cleanliness and light architectural finish of newly built villas and flats means that in modern rooms, a minimal suggestion of decoration is enough, such as extra moulding along the top of the skirting, soft lights, dainty items of furniture and other touches of material that bring out a new playful spirit in interior decoration.

A good example is Edwardian furniture, that has gained in esteem in recent years, is well suited to a modern kind of setting and shows strong evidence of increasing demand.

It often looks wrong if the style of a particular period is imposed on a room designed and built to quite different specifications. But a few period pieces can be combined quite successfully with plain upholstered sofas, tables and a few pictures.

On the other hand, heavy antique furniture seems to blend less readily into a modern décor.

It goes without saying that early 19th century villas and other large houses of character used before the last war as hunting lodges or for the summer months were gradually becoming permanent residences. There was a drive to connect house and garden by relocating reception rooms and providing easy access to the grounds. The large rooms were ideal for the gilded mirrors, walls almost covered with paintings and many more items of furniture imported from Britain and mixed with Maltese pieces.

A type of society that moved from Valletta and other central towns and settled in country houses, concentrated on replicating the old ambience. Either inherited antiques, or items acquired from auction rooms – these items were not considered by some as crowding the appearance of a drawing-room but as familiar pieces to be treasured and loved.

The Maltese islands were not only associated with European fashions but even with countries further afield. India and Japan exercised fascination on the oriental-loving Maltese public. Brass trays on wooden legs, Japanese and Chinese vases and many more decorative objects were seen in many interiors. It is still difficult today to delineate traditional fashions and give them a new character.

Towards the end of the 20th century, together with a revival of interest in the decorative styles of the past there has been a demand for red and white deal (pine) furniture and for some old-fashioned pieces of the 19th century – items that can be assimilated well into converted town and farm houses and at times even in the so-called houses of character.

Perhaps few people give enough thought to architectural detail, which is not superfluous ornament but serves to articulate proportion and style. Without it, rooms look bare and characterless. Modern interiors can be handsome and appealing, but many people are misguided in recreating period décor in today’s setting, and generally end up with stilted results.

Joseph Galea-Naudi and Denise Micallef are the authors of Antique Maltese Furniture, and Guide to Maltese Furniture.

This article first appeared in the Summer 1999 issue of Treasures of Malta, which is published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti. Treasures of Malta is a magazine about art and culture which is published three times a year, and is available from all leading bookshops.