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Advertisers MFSC - Malta Financial Services Centre Maltese-American Chamber of Commerce METCO - Malta External Trade Corporation Ltd.
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The arts and crafts of Malta
However, one of the most interesting newer crafts to come out of Malta is mouth-blown glass. Glassmaking came to Malta only 35 years ago with the creation of Mdina Glass. The company brought in expert craftsmen from Murano who used a greenish blue glass to create works of art. The original idea was to use colors that reflect the Maltese sky and sea.
Today at the Mdina Glassworks in the Ta’Qali Crafts Center, visitors can watch artisans creating a variety of shapes from colored glass. The complicated process begins with multicolored beads, which are blown into a shape. Clear glass is then placed around the colored glass and a shape is designed. This technique produces objets d’art with an interesting interplay of colors. Other modern pieces, such as their Picasso-style vases, bowls, statutes, perfume bottles and individual beads, are all available in their factory shops. Tours to the site are available from major hotels, or visitors can take a public bus or taxi to the crafts village, which also houses a variety of different crafts houses.
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Table of Contents Building bridges and embracing the future |
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Malta is known for a variety of crafts. Handmade lace is turned into beautiful tablecloth and napkin sets. Replicas of the brass doorknockers that hang on the old houses in Valletta and Mdina are popular. Wrought ironwork is another local tradition. Craftsmen still handcraft intricate filigree silver and gold jewelry.