There is a healthy antique-collecting community in Malta and the contents of Maltese private collections are simply breathtaking. Most of the items illustrated herein have only one thing in common: they are found in Maltese collections and are hidden safely in the vast network of Maltese house museums scattered all over the island. Some private collections seem to rival the state collections. Ninety-five percent of the items depicted in this volume are not family heirlooms, but are items that have appeared on the market over the past twenty years.