The Grand Master’s Palace Tapestries Are Back, A Must-See in Malta This Summer
The Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta welcomes back its magnificent Gobelins tapestries after restoration, alongside a fashion exhibition inspired by their designs, on display until the end of August.
After almost two years in Belgium undergoing painstaking conservation, the magnificent tapestries of the Grand Master’s Palace have returned to their rightful home, restored, revitalised, and ready to captivate visitors once again.
Commissioned in 1708 by Grand Master Ramon Perellos as part of his gioia – the traditional gift presented by every newly elected Grand Master to the Order of St John, the tapestries were woven at the prestigious Gobelins manufactory in Paris from the celebrated Tenture des Indes designs. Their richly detailed scenes of exotic flora, fauna and distant lands reflected Europe’s fascination with newly discovered territories in the early eighteenth century.
Yet their greatest distinction lies elsewhere. The Grand Master’s Palace is home to the world’s only complete surviving set woven from the original cartoons, and, remarkably, the tapestries have remained in the very chamber for which they were created for more than 300 years.
Their recent conservation, entrusted to Belgium’s internationally renowned De Wit Royal Manufacturers, marks the first restoration of the entire set since 1910, when the tapestries returned to the Gobelins workshops. While the textiles were away, Heritage Malta undertook a comprehensive restoration of the Tapestry Chamber itself. A new hanging system was also installed, allowing the tapestries to be hung and removed more safely and efficiently.
To mark their return, Heritage Malta has published The Gobelins Tapestries in the Council Chamber by Emmanuel Magro Conti, offering readers a fascinating insight into the history, symbolism and significance of these extraordinary works.
The celebrations continue with an exhibition that demonstrates how heritage continues to inspire contemporary creativity.
In collaboration with acclaimed Maltese fashion designers Charles & Ron, Heritage Malta has launched Inspired by History: From Tapestries to Contemporary Fashion, an exhibition featuring six gowns displayed in the corridor leading to the Tapestry Chamber.
The gowns form part of Charles & Ron’s GIOIA collection, originally created for the Autumn/Winter 2021/22 season but never publicly presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing inspiration from the tapestries’ vibrant imagery, the collection reinterprets historic motifs through contemporary fashion, creating a striking dialogue between eighteenth-century textile art and modern design.
As part of this collaboration, Charles & Ron have donated one of the gowns to the national textile collection under Heritage Malta’s care, ensuring that this creative conversation between past and present will continue for generations to come.
Together, the restored tapestries and the accompanying fashion exhibition (running until the end of August) embody a simple yet powerful message: heritage is not confined to history, it continues to inspire, evolve, and live on.
