A unique collection of artefacts from Malta has been loaned by Heritage Malta to the Palais Lascaris in Nice, France, for the exhibition In the Time of Grand Master Jean-Paul de Lascaris: Nice, Malta, and the Mediterranean. The exhibition forms part of the Biennale of Arts of the Museums of Nice, and explores the deep historical ties between Malta, the Order of the Knights of St John and the Mediterranean city of Nice.
At the heart of this binational collaboration is the intriguing connection between Malta and Grand Master Jean-Paul de Lascaris, a native of the County of Nice who led the Order of Malta from 1636 to 1657. Lascaris was instrumental in shaping the Order during its golden age in Malta, and his legacy endures both in Malta's historical architecture and in the noble palace of his family in Nice - the exhibition's venue.
Among the standout pieces loaned by Heritage Malta are various silver and copper coins minted under Grand Master Lascaris from the National Museum of Archaeology, a 17th century chalice bearing his coat-of-arms from Muża - The National Community Art Museum, and a striking steel breastplate from the Grand Master's Palace Armoury. Maritime and military history also take centre stage, with a corsair strongbox and a dramatic oil painting of the capture of the Capitana of Tripoli in 1709, featuring a galley financed by the Lascaris Foundation, both loaned from the Malta Maritime Museum.
A particularly evocative artefact is a painted wooden relief sculpture of St Anne with the Virgin and Child, linked to the Order's legendary warship - the carrack Santa Anna - which was built in Nice and later served the Knights valiantly after their arrival in Malta. This artefact symbolically unites both places in shared maritime heritage. Completing the Maltese display is a grand procession scene showing an aged Lascaris at the feast of the Great Siege Victory, and an engraving of a 1645 sea battle between the Knights and the Turks.
Through these items, Heritage Malta is offering a powerful window into a period when Malta and Nice were bound not only by the sea, but also by blood, faith and a shared Order.
The exhibition runs until 3 November.