|
|
Jean Houel VOYAGE PITTORESQUE DES ISLES DE SICILE,DE MALTE ET DE LIPARI [4 volumes, Paris 1782-1787]
1787 the French traveller Jean Houel implies that by his time the accepted ‘tradition’ placed the temple of Hercules on the hill of Tas-Silġ. There, he describes in some detail, and illustrates by an engraving, a long and beautiful wall of several courses of which only modest traces survive today. He clearly distinguishes these remains from those behind the chapel of St George (Borġ In-Nadur) which he correctly compares to those of the Ġgantija Temples At the beginning of the following century Onorato Bres is still confusing the two sites. On the one hand he describes the ‘smisurata grandezza’ of the stones and cites Quintinus and Fazellus, and on the other refers to the wall illustrated in Houel and cites Abela and Ciantar with reference to Tas-Silġ. A.A. Caruana, towards the end of the 19th century, reverts quite categorically to the original identification with Borġ In-Nadur, and declares Houel’s opinion incorrect. This identification is given the coup de grâce by the German Albert Mayr who, at the beginning of the 20th century, classifies the Borġ In-Nadur complex together with the other megalithic buildings on the two islands, as prehistoric. He also describes the archaeological remains on the hill of Tas-Silġ where he noticed the presence of a small triglyph frieze and of Punic pottery and discovered a small marble statuette and, excluding that they could have belonged to a private house, suggests that they should rather have belonged to a temple, perhaps the temple of Hercules. It is thus seen that, apart from differences of opinion as to the exact site, the position of the writers of Maltese ancient history and antiquities regarding the location of the temple of Hercules somewhere in the Marsaxlokk harbour remained unchanged from Quintinus down to the present century. The importance of the candelabra to Maltese archaeology is inestimable: their potential significance in relation to their historical background has been exploited only superficially. For instance, once they are firmly dated they could throw much light on the prevalent culture, or cultures, in Malta at the time of their dedication. On the international Only Houel, IV, pl. CCLVI, fig. 1, illustrates one of them complete with a two-handled basin on top. This is certainly the French traveller’s own artistic integration which, however, appears to be very close to what the monument originally must have looked like On the 13th of July, 1938, Dun Gwann Farrugia asked the Museums authority to look into a building found in the gardens of the archpriest of Zurrieq. One will find reference to these remains in the book by J. Houel, 'Voyage Pittoresque de Sicile, Malte et Lipari'. He claims that these remains date back to the Greek period. Unfortunately today only a small tower belonging to a larger building remains, known due to the actual dating of the same tower, as the Punic Tower. This tower is of great interest for the fact that punic remains on the island a scarce. The structure of the tower is made of stone cut in large perfectly square blocks and put together with great precision with the use of round dowels (mincotti ) to hold the same blocks in place. In 1787, Jean Houel published an engraving which showed a 30m. long wall built of four layers of large squared stones, c. 2.00 x 0.50mm, which he describes in some detail. Louis de Boisgelin elaborated on this account and remarked that the stones were ‘laid without mortar in a workman-like manner’. Another reference to Houel’s engraving is made by Onorato Bres who added that the building was Phoenician and that it was decorated with marbles. Section of the site might meanwhile have been dug up by treasure hunters and antiquarians
All engravings are in aquatint process and measure as follows Full Page Size - 51cm x 33cm Engraved Area Size - 36cm x 25cm
Aquatint An intaglio technique in which fine particles of acid-resistant material (powdered rosin, spray lacquer, or spray paint) are adhered to a plate to create tonal effects. The plate is first treated in an acid bath like an etching plate. Afterward, the acid-resistant material is removed. The resulting etched, or bitten, surface produces a textured area rather than lines. An aquatint plate can be used to print even tones or tones with gradation or blending effects. Aquatint is often used in combination with other intaglio techniques. The aquatint process using a rosin ground was invented by the Frenchman Jean Baptiste Le Prince around 1768.
1) Ancient figure engraved in rock at the entrance gate in Gozo 2) Ancient temples located in Gozo – Ggantija 3) Male & female costumes in Gozo (half page), Plan of ancient temples. 4) Plan of Salt Pans in Gozo, View of same 5) View of the Fungus Rock 6) Plan of the bastions/fortifications. 7) Remaining wall of the temple of Hercules at M’Xlokk 8) Ancient artifact conserved at the National Library, Antique pottery located at the Grand Masters Palace. 9) Ancient marble busts located at the Grand Masters Palace. 10) Plan and view of the remains of an ancient Greek house in Zurrieq, A bird’s eye view of the Calypso Cave. 11) View of ancient temples. 12) Ancient statues & architectural remains found at Mdina, Ancient statues and architectural remains found within Malta & Gozo 13) View of Bingemma Hill. 14) View and plans of the Catacombs. 15) A View of the antique village Calypso.
|