For most people an old map is a quaintly decorated piece of paper, however, if the map is part of the Albert Ganado Collection now donated to the Museum of Fine Arts in Valletta, then it is something else.
This is a collection of 19 manuscript maps and 431 printed ones made between 1507 and 1899. Many of the maps were made before 1570 and were printed as single sheets. Only a few of them have survived over time and some are only found in the Ganado Collection.
Each of the hand-drawn maps is unique and very rare to find on the market. Moreover, the Ganado Collection is probably the only one that shows the development of certain representations of the Maltese islands during the Great Siege of 1565 and the plans of Valletta.
On the 19 May 1565, the Maltese Islands were invaded by the largest armada that had ever left the Straits of Istanbul - It was, in the Duke of Wellington’s famous words, “a damned close thing”. The fate of Europe hung in the balance and even Elizabeth of England asked for prayers to be said for the defenders of the island. During the Great Siege of 1565, the Knights kept sending out news-maps showing the progress of the siege which all Europe was following. These illustrated war reports produced mostly from copper engravings gave a day-to-day picture of the Siege, one of the bloodiest and most fiercely contested in history, which put an end to the European perception of Ottoman invincibility and marked a new phase in Spanish domination of the Mediterranean. Some of the maps were actually modelled on sketches which were drawn by the military engineers of the Order at the height of the siege and served like a newspaper today, updating the public on developments that could affect Europe dramatically. Few of us realise the importance that Malta gained in European eyes following the celebrated outcome, leading Voltaire to declare, "Nothing is more well known than the siege of Malta”.
Through his maps Dr. Ganado will also be showing how Valletta’s original bastion trace and street layout developed.
Dr. Ganado’s interest was kindled when he inherited a few maps from his father; every time he went abroad his first visits were always to shops that sold maps, buying old maps of Malta from all over Europe. Eventually Dr. Ganado became a world authority on maps and prints of Malta, writing articles in leading magazines and giving conferences.
Over his 50 years of dedicated collecting Dr Albert Ganado has not only given us a priceless heritage but made it come alive as those who attend this lecture will enjoy. After hearing Dr. Ganado talk, one cannot ever look at an old map in the same way again.
This talk to be held at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard, [Chameleon Room] on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 was fully booked when it was delivered some years ago and is definitely an event not to be missed.
Attendees are requested to be seated by 5:45 pm. A donation of €5 is requested (FAA Members €3) Please book on: [email protected]