As part of the cultural programme of the Embassy of Malta in Italy, an exhibition of the sculpture of the Baptism of Christ, by Alessandro Algardi is being held in the city of Rome between the 10^th of December 2024 and the 24^th January 2025. The exhibition is being held in collaboration with Le Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica, Galleria Corsini.

Alessandro Algardi, a sculptor from Bologna was an Italian high-Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome. The bronze sculpture by Alessandro Algardi,has been loaned for this exhibition by the Diocese of Malta and the Parish of Żejtun, where the sculpture is conserved. Together with the Galleria Corsini, the Embassy of Malta in Rome with the support of the Cultural Diplomacy Fund of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, two versions from Algardi’s Baptism collection are currently exhibited together on the eve of the Papal Jubilee in Rome.

Curated by Dr. Sandro Debono, this exhibition was inaugurated by a symposium on the 10^th December. The symposium re-traced the journey to Malta of the Battesimo. Commissioned in the 17th century by Pope Innocent X, the bronze Baptism of Christ, epitomises an important scene in the life of Christ.

Alessandro Algardi worked carefully to make this piece innovative and dramatic. Through his extensive research, Dr. Debono together with Dott. Alessandro Cosma artistic consultant within the Galleria Corsini furnished this project with a great degree of insight on the artistic movements of the Baroque period.

During the inaugurating symposium, Dr Sante Guido, the conservator who had restored this work of art way back in 2005 had the opportunity to also share his knowledge on the glit bronze and Malta’s Baroque heritage . Welcome speeches were delivered by Dr Solomon, Gallerie Nazionali Barberini Corsini director and HE Daniel Azzoppardi, Malta’s Ambassador to Italy.

Il Battesimo Di Cristo Alessandro Algardi : La Versione Maltese, presents the connection between Italy and Malta in the realm of the arts. This extraordinary work of art, has been an integral part of Malta’s artistic and cultural heritage. Its conservation is a significant milestone for the appreciation of classical masterpieces. Algardi’s direct output in Malta was influential not only in Italy but in other Baroque centers, including Malta of the 17th century. This cultural movement contributed to the diffusion of Baroque art on the island.

While Algardi’s most celebrated works remain in Italy, Malta was a cultural crossroads between Italy and the broader Mediterranean, which meant that Baroque artistic trends, including those pioneered by Algardi, would have been adopted and adapted by Maltese artists working in the same tradition. Sculptors working in Malta often drew on Roman Baroque styles, which were directly influenced by Algardi’s work in Italy.

A case in point is the Maltese sculptor Melchiorre Gafà who was significantly influenced by the Italian Baroque, particularly through the works of Alessandro Algardi. While Gafà was primarily based in Malta, the artistic currents that defined Rome and Italy during the Baroque period found their way to Malta through the Knights of St. John and other cultural exchanges. Gafà’s works in Malta, especially his religious sculptures and tomb monuments, carry the emotional depth, naturalism, and dramatic flair that are hallmarks of Algardi’s style, ensuring that the artistic legacy of Italian Baroque was preserved and further developed in the Maltese context.

Through this exhibition, the Embassy aspires to explore the shared Baroque legacy between Malta and Italy. Centuries on, our two peoples continue to enrich and relish the rich cultural legacy that defines our two countries through our cultural heritage. Altogether, the Baroque era continues to thrive and evolve in modern times through our collective effort to preserve this movement as a living tradition.