The Monument to Sir Alexander Ball ( mt, Il-Monument ta' Sir Alexander Ball) is a neoclassical monument in the

Lower Barrakka Gardens The Lower Barakka Gardens () is a garden in Valletta, Malta, and it is twinned with the Upper Barrakka Gardens. The gardens have a view of the Grand Harbour and the breakwater. It includes the Monument to Sir Alexander Ball, which is a prominent ...

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It was built in 1810 as a memorial to Sir

Alexander Ball Sir Alexander John Ball, 1st Baronet ( it, Alessandro Giovanni Ball, 22 July 1757 – 25 October 1809) was a Rear-Admiral and Civil Commissioner of Malta. He was born in Ebworth Park, Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire. He was the fourth son of Robert ...

, a British admiral who was the first Civil Commissioner of Malta. Attributed to the architect

Giorgio Pullicino Giorgio Pullicino (8 July 1779 – 25 October 1851) was a Maltese painter, architect, and professor of drawing and architecture at the University of Malta. He is known for his harbour views painted in a number of media, and he is also consider ...

, the monument is in the form of an

ancient Greek temple Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, ...

History

Rear-Admiral Alexander John Ball (1757-1809), by Henry William Pickersgill

Sir

was a British naval officer who was sent to Malta in 1798 to help the

Maltese rebels Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

in the blockade against the French. Ball became the first Civil Commissioner of Malta, a post he held from 1799 to 1801 and again from 1802 until his death on 25 October 1809. Ball was widely loved and respected by the Maltese people. In December 1809, the Maltese set up a committee of "Deputies of the Nation" and petitioned the Acting Commissioner Francis Chapman to build a monument dedicated to Ball. The

was chosen as the site to build the monument, since its location on the

fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

overlooking the

Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks (Malta Dockyard), wharves, and ...

was appropriate to honour a naval officer, and it was an area popular with the local population. The strategic location of the monument made it a powerful symbol of British rule in Malta. The monument was constructed in 1810, and its design is attributed to the Maltese architect

. The monument was built using funds collected by the local population. The monument deteriorated quickly after its construction since it is exposed to the elements. In 1883, Captain E. H. Seymour formed a committee to restore it, and it was restored the following year by Andrea Vassallo under the supervision of

Emanuele Luigi Galizia Emanuele Luigi Galizia (7 November 1830 – 6 May 1907) was a Maltese architect and civil engineer, who designed many public buildings and several churches. He is regarded as "the principal Maltese architect throughout the second half of the ni ...

. The restored monument was inaugurated by Governor Sir

Lintorn Simmons Field Marshal Sir John Lintorn Arabin Simmons (12 February 1821 – 14 February 1903) was a British Army officer. Early in his career he served as Inspector of Railways, Secretary of the Railways Commission and then Secretary of the Railway Dep ...

on 18 December 1884. The monument was restored once again in 2001, as part of an overall restoration and rehabilitation of the Lower Barrakka.

Architecture

Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lvant - Lower Barrakka Gardens - Alexander Ball 06 ies

The monument was designed in the

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

style of

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

. It is built in the form of an

with a solid ''naos'' and a

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

tetrastyle A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

portico. The design was inspired by the

Temple of Hephaestus The Temple of Hephaestus or ''Hephaisteion'' (also "Hephesteum" or "Hephaesteum"; grc, Ἡφαιστεῖον, ell, Ναός Ηφαίστου, and formerly called in error the Theseion or "Theseum"; grc, Θησεῖον, ell, Θησείο), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, but the proportions are completely different since the monument is much smaller than the temple. It is set on a high

stylobate In classical Greek architecture, a stylobate ( el, στυλοβάτης) is the top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform upon which colonnades of temple columns are placed (it is the floor of the temple). The platform was built on a level ...

in order to make the structure more imposing. Each of the four walls of the ''naos'' contains a niche containing allegorical statues representing War, Prudence, Justice and Immortality. These statues are the work of the sculptor

Vincenzo Dimech Vincenzo Dimech (29 June 1768 – 2 February 1831) was a Maltese sculptor. He is best known for his religious sculptures, which include the titular statues of Gudja and Floriana. He also sculpted monuments or architectural features in Valletta a ...

Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lvant - Lower Barrakka Gardens - Alexander Ball 04 ies

The frieze contains the following inscription: Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lvant - Lower Barrakka Gardens - Alexander Ball 05 ies

Two identical inscriptions, one in Latin and another in English, were installed at the base of the monument during the 1884 restoration. The Latin inscription reads:

References

External links

{{Valletta Buildings and structures in Valletta Monuments and memorials in Malta Neoclassical architecture in Malta Greek Revival buildings Limestone buildings in Malta Folly buildings Buildings and structures completed in 1810 1810 establishments in Malta

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links