The Siege of Malta- Valetta, 13 September 1565 RMG BHC0259

The Siege of Malta: Valetta, 13 September 1565
This is the eighth of eight pictures commemorating the Siege of Malta in 1565. The back of the canvases bear the cipher of Charles I indicating that they were once in his collection. The set as a whole is a version of the larger series still in place in the Council Chamber of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta. It shows a plan of the new fortified city of Valletta with a bird's eye view of the buildings. This was founded by the Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette and named by him Valletta. La Valette was convinced that the future of the Order still lay in Malta, and so a fortress city was built which seemed both dignified but impregnable to the enemy.
The painting shows that the city was based on the rectangular grid system advocated by the Roman architect Vitruvius. The castle of St Elmo can be seen on the left. Also visible are the fortifications, the Grand Master's Palace and Conventual Church of St John with a coach and procession in front of it. In the upper left of the picture four of the Knights' galleys and a ship are moving into Grand Harbour, and there are three ships anchored off the landing place on the south-east. In the lowest part of the picture is a galley on the left and a ship at anchor on the right, starboard view. Outside the walls of the town to the right, a figure has been portrayed swinging from a gibbet. See also BHC0252-0258.

The Siege of Malta: Valetta, 13 September 1565