The Maltese Facade
The balconies vary from one village to the other, for example Valletta’s majestic decorated motifs which represent the city’s history. Political statements were expressed with the balconies themselves, featuring the portico surmounted by the balcony made out of marble. The entrance to the balcony is through a door with Corinthian pilasters and crowned with a broken pediment. The extreme beauty of the baroque guides the viewer to the whole façade, also telling visually the viewer what the political relation is to the building.
Influences seem to be from Spain as it governed Malta from 1282 to 1530. Decorative motifs with the Acanthus Leaf appear with enclosure. Spain’s seem to be more elongated and decorated with detail, highlighting the country’s culture and overall aesthetic.
A fusion of modern and traditional aesthetic seems to blend and function well with a project designed by Chris Briffa, consisting of a traditional balcony with the ability to dissect it in half by doors, revealing the bottom part which enables a full view while getting a touch of contemporary image.
As Malta is an Island, the door-knockers reflect the sea with decorative sea creatures and vibrant finishes. These reflect the owner’s personality and were introduced long after the “scratching method” where people used to scratch on doors instead of knocking. The designs are similar to knockers of Japanese doors and feature lions like ours, only we use the Maltese Cross the most. In contemporary methods, the knockers remain the same, but highly
polished every time.
References:
Vassallo History | Maltese History & Heritage. 2015. The Maltese Balcony | Maltese History & Heritage. [ONLINE] Available at:https://vassallohistory.wordpress.com/the-maltese-balcony/. [Accessed 15 May 2015].
Share My Travel – The Maltese Balcony | ShareMyTravel. 2009. Il-Gallarija Maltija – The Maltese Balcony | ShareMyTravel. [ONLINE] Available at:https://sharemytravel.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/il-gallarija-maltija-the-maltese-balcony/. [Accessed 15 May 2015].
Ottsworld. 2015. Maltese Balcony Origins. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/maltese-balcony-origins/. [Accessed 15 May 2015].
Ottsworld. 2015. Maltese Balcony Origins. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/maltese-balcony-origins/. [Accessed 15 May 2015].
The Malta Guide. 2013. Mdina Door Knockers. [ONLINE] Available at:http://themaltaguide.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=300:mdina-door-knockers&catid=46:blog&Itemid=77. [Accessed 15 May 2015].
Anecdotes from Malta: Some Maltese Door Knockers. 2010. Anecdotes from Malta: Some Maltese Door Knockers. [ONLINE] Available at:http://anecdotesfrommalta.blogspot.com/2010/03/some-maltese-door-knockers.html. [Accessed 15 May 2015].
Secret doors to balcony with a view - timesofmalta.com. 2014. Secret doors to balcony with a view - timesofmalta.com. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140302/local/Secret-doors-to-balcony-with-a-view.508823. [Accessed 15 May 2015].
No comments:
Post a Comment