The debate about the spoils of war and national heritage is always an intense one. Whenever I ask somebody whether a recognized objet d'art which used to be in a country's possession out to be returned to its first home, I always get a resounding 'yes.' In Malta's case, the most popular objet d'art in question is La Valette's sword. Together with its matching dagger, the sword was a gift from Philippe II of Spain in 1565 to The Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of Malta at the time, Jean Parisot De La Valette (active 1557-1568), marking the Knights of Malta's victory in the Great siege and the subsequent retreat of the Ottoman forces.(1) The set of weapons remained in the Order's possession for more than two hundred years after the death of the Grand Master, who first received it on the Order's behalf. This sword was later taken by Napoleon's forces when they invaded Malta, and is now on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Mario Buhagiar is a professor and head of the History of Art Department at the University of Malta.
Obviously a sword taken away by the notorious Napoleon from Malta and now in Louvre should be returned to where it used to be without any further discussion. We should finally let all those who use force in stealing other person's cultural objects that such actions are not acceptable. Dr. Kwame Opoku
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