| Statue of Queen Victoria | |
|---|---|
 The statue in 2012 | |
 | |
| Artist | Giuseppe Valenti |
| Completion date | 5 August 1891 (1891-08-05) |
| Medium | Marble |
| Subject | Queen Victoria |
| Location | Valletta,Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°53′54.3″N14°30′48.0″E / 35.898417°N 14.513333°E /35.898417; 14.513333 |
Astatue of Queen Victoria stands in front of theNational Library of Malta inRepublic Square,Valletta,Malta. Sculpted out of marble by the Sicilian artistGiuseppe Valenti, the statue depictsthe Queen sitting down and wearing a shawl ofMaltese lace. It was installed in the square on 5 August 1891, replacing a bronzestatue of António Manoel de Vilhena.
The site of the statue was an empty space until the mid-19th century, when GovernorJohn Le Marchant installed a bronzestatue of António Manoel de Vilhena and established a garden with orange trees in the square. The statue had been cast in 1736 and it had previously been located atFort Manoel. After the statue of Queen Victoria was installed instead of that of Vilhena, the latter was moved toFloriana and the orange trees were removed.[1]
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The statue was commissioned by public subscription to commemorate the 1887Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It was sculpted inPalermo[2] by the Sicilian artistGiuseppe Valenti, who had previously sculpted a statue ofSaint Publius for theMdina Cathedral in 1885, and it was inaugurated on 5 August 1891.[3]
In 1901, ten years after its inauguration, the statue became the focal point for the public mourning commemorations following the Queen's death.[4]
The monument probably suffered some damage fromshrapnel and vibrations due to bombs exploding nearby duringWorld War II.[3] In the 1960s, the statue was reportedly targeted by socialists who daubed it in red paint. Despite this, there were very few calls for its removal even after Malta became anindependent state in 1964 and later arepublic in 1974.[5] The square which contains the statue is now officially known asMisraħ ir-Repubblika (Republic Square), but it is still commonly referred to asPjazza Reġina (Queen's Square) after the statue.[6]
The statue deteriorated over the years due to weather conditions andferal pigeons which are common in the area. By the early 21st century, parts of the pedestal were chipped, while the fingers of the left hand and parts of thecoronet andsceptre were missing. The inscriptions on the pedestal had also eroded. The monument was cleaned and restored in 2011, with conservation work being carried out by Heritage ResCo. The restoration was sponsored by M. Demajo Group andDin l-Art Ħelwa, while the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs provided some assistance.[3][7]
In June 2020, there were some calls for the statue's removal in the wake ofthe removal of many statues in the United States and elsewhere during theGeorge Floyd protests. FormerValletta 2018 artistic director Mario Azzopardi called the statue a "colonial obscenity" and called for its removal,[8] while the executive chairman of the Malta Book CouncilMark Camilleri called for its relocation and replacement with a monument to a prominentMaltese intellectual.[5] There were also those who came out against the statue's removal, includingFondazzjoni Wirt Artna founder Mario Farrugia[9] and culture ministerJosé Herrera. The latter stated that removal of monuments ofBritish colonial rule in Malta would be "ridiculous" and that it would not change the fact that the islands were under foreign rule for much oftheir history.[10]
The statue depicts Queen Victoria wearing ashawl ofMaltese lace,[3] in reference to the fact that she had ordered "eight dozen pairs long and eight dozen pairs short mitts, besides a scarf" of Malta lace. According toJesmond Grech, she did so "in an attempt to revive this ancient craft."[11]
It is sculpted out of white marble.[7] The pedestal and the steps leading to it are made out of grey stone.[7] This also includes two coats of arms cast in bronze: theBritish coat of arms at the front andthat of Malta at the back.[3]
Public mourning of the death of Queen Victoria by her statue in then- Piazza Tesoreria, August 1901:
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Media related toQueen Victoria Statue (Valletta) at Wikimedia Commons
