Oceanwood Capital Management has sponsored the conservation of the only extant volume pertaining to Notary Bartholomeo de Sillato through the Adoption Scheme run by the Notarial Archives Foundation (NAF). This scheme encourages individuals, companies and institutions to "adopt" a notary, volume or item from the collection of the Notarial Archives in Valletta by sponsoring their conservation. This ensures that these precious documents are preserved for future generations.
Bartholomeo de Sillato served as Notary Public from 1485 to 1535. One of several generations of notaries of the Sillato family, he was the son of Notary Luca de Sillato and the grandfather of Notary Brandano de Caxario. He served as Judge of the Civil Court and was active in Maltese public life, appearing in various contracts and intervening notably as a member of the Mdina town council. He had various business interests in agriculture and was married to Francia de Bonello.
De Sillato's volume holds particular importance to Maltese history due to the rarity of the survival of manuscripts that date to the medieval period. Bartholomeo de Sillato's volume reveals various facets of Maltese culture and society during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, thus predating the coming of the Order of St John, a period that is not widely known.
The conservation of this unique manuscript was entrusted to book and paper conservator Alejandra Molano-Contreras, under the supervision of Dr Theresa Zammit Lupi. The manuscript was in a vulnerable condition, having undergone previous interventions, including rebinding, done sometime in the 20th century.
Indeed, a big part of the conservation process constituted the removal of these old repairs that were damaging the volume. Additionally, the paper was lined and flattened and the ink was consolidated. A new cover, in the style of other 16th century volumes of the Notarial Archives' collection, was prepared in replacement of the existing acidic cover.
Dr Joan Abela, president of the NAF, proudly reflects that the NAF, with the generous support of Oceanwood, has once again extended the life of a priceless medieval manuscript that was in a fragile state of preservation. Dr Abela expresses her thanks to all those involved, especially Dr Zammit Lupi, whose high standards mirror the NAF's vision for creating a centre of excellence in research and conservation. As president, Dr Abela encourages those who wish to participate in the Adopt a Notary Scheme to invest in our nation's paper heritage, so that our society may look back and state that it did its part in preserving Malta's precious past.
National archivist Dr Charles Farrugia welcomed this initiative and sponsorship and expressed his optimism that now that the Notarial Archives falls under the responsibility of the National Archives, the sector will acquire the right archival expertise in managing the extensive treasures it holds and widen professional services to the public.
The Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici thanked Oceanwood Capital Management and the NAF for their cooperation on the preservation of an important medieval notarial manuscript. Dr Bonnici praised the professional conservation work which has now become synonymous with NAF and stressed the importance of the need to safeguard our national paper heritage for future generations.
Oceanwood Capital Management is honoured to have been given the opportunity to give back to the Maltese society and assist with the invaluable work being carried out by NAF, through funding the conservation of such an important and unique manuscript. Oceanwood would like to acknowledge the utmost dedication and high level of professionalism of both conservators and staff at the Notarial Archives Foundation.