M. Demajo Group is sponsoring the conservation-restoration of the ‘Queen Victoria’ monument (1891) in Valletta. The project is being coordinated by heritage NGO Din l-Art Helwa.
This year M. Demajo Group celebrates 100 years of continuous operation. M. Demajo Group’s history is closely tuned to the capital city and it was befitting to focus the Group’s interest in this direction, by sponsoring the restoration project of this monument.
The work has been entrusted to Heritage ResCo, and will be undertaken by conservators Ingrid Ross, together with James Licari and Frank Chetcuti who also work as lecturers and conservator-restorers with Heritage Malta. The Valletta/Mdina/Cottonera Rehabilitation Project within the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs is providing the scaffolding.
The statue is the work of the Sicilian sculptor Giuseppe Valenti and is located in the square in front of the National Library in Valletta. The statue and the pedestal are executed in white marble, while the base and steps are made from a grey stone. There are two coat-of-arms on the monument which are cast in bronze.
Paid for by public subscription and erected in front of the National Library in 1891, the monument commemorated Queen Victoria’s 50th Jubilee. It depicts her with a lace shawl, as she had ordered “eight dozen pairs long and eight dozen pairs short mitts, besides a scarf” of Malta lace.
Like all public monuments, the monument representing Queen Victoria is exposed to varying weather conditions. Over time, constant fluctuations in temperature and wet and drying processes affect the various components of the monument. Pigeon colonies in the square also cause damage.
The restoration works will remove all surface grime, biological growth and deposits. The missing elements will be reconstructed using inert conservation grade materials respecting the original surfaces and following conservation ethics. Ongoing research is being carried out throughout the project to provide visual details of these parts. The bronze coat-of-arms will be cleaned, stabilised and given various protective layers to preserve them for future generations.
The public is encouraged to provide DLH with any historic photographs of this monument, which may help the conservation team with their work.