Knight of Malta

Based on the style of armour worn by the knight, this statuette can be dated to the late seventeenth century. It has been suggested that a turban sits at his feet, and this may have been commissioned to mark a victory in an encounter with the Ottomans, who the Knights of Malta would have regularly attacked and defended against in the Mediterranean.

Object type

Sculpture

Date

Production: 1650 - 1700

Subject(s)

Knights of Malta
Portraiture
Arms and Armour

Dimensions

Height x width x depth: 270 x 100 x 90mm

Materials and technique

Alabaster, carved and partly-gilded, on a wood base

Production place

Trapani
Sicily
Italy

References

Warren, Jeremy. "New perspectives on alabaster sculpture from Trapani". In Colnaghi Studies 8 (2021): 115-147.
Pages 138 - 140

Provenance

Purchase, 1934

Catalogue number

3011