Following the success of her February lecture, art historian Prof. Charlene Vella presented a rerun of her public talk on Monday, 28 April 2025, at 18:00 at the NAV, Valletta.
The lecture, which had drawn significant public interest during its initial delivery, explored Maltese art, architecture, and culture during the mid to late 15th century—the period in which Pietru Caxaro’s Kantilena was composed. At the time, the Maltese islands formed an integral part of the Confederation of the Aragonese Crown, a period characterised by rich cultural exchanges.
Prof. Vella delved into the artistic and architectural developments of Late Medieval Malta, situating them within the wider Mediterranean context while highlighting the cultural significance of the Kantilena, Malta’s earliest known text in the Maltese language, dated to around 1480.
Combining rigorous scholarship with an engaging delivery, Prof. Vella offered valuable insights into the artistic output, socio-political landscape, and Malta’s role within a broader Mediterranean network of the time.
