Culture
What a throwback! 70-year-old photo depicts the construction of Valletta Tritoni Fountain in the 1950s
It was sculpted by Chevalier Vincent Apap and his collaborator Victor Anastasi.

Emma Galea

A photo shared by Mary Rose Attard Flores through the ‘The Embassy Valletta Hotel’ shows the iconic Tritoni Fountain right by Valletta’s gate being constructed during the 1950s.

The fountain consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a large basin and it is without a doubt one of Malta’s most well-known modernist landmarks. In fact, the figures of the Tritons represent Malta's connection with the sea.

The photo shows the Tritoni square as one of the fountain's tritons is held up by a crane as it slowly lifted into the air before being put in its place on the fountain.

This rare shot must have been taken some time during the year 1959, near the fountain's completion date. It was sculpted by Chevalier Vincent Apap and his collaborator Victor Anastasi.

Tritoni’s Fountain three tritons were cast in bronze Lagana foundry in Naples.

It was unfortunately heavily damaged during the Republic Day celebrations decades later but was thankfully fixed at the drydocks. Unfortunately, the deterioration still kept getting worse and worse until the statues were fully restored in 2017.

3rd November 2024


Emma Galea
Written by
Emma Galea
Emma is a Gozitan writer who loves all things related to English literature and history. When not busy studying or writing you will either find her immersed in a fictional book or at the cinema trying to watch as many films as she possibly can!

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