One of the most significant and needed renovations that the Mdina Cathedral Museum plans to undertake is that of improving the rooms that host the Dürer collection. Albrecht Dürer was a print maker, painter and theorist whose pieces are found in the collections of major art institutions, including the Albertina in Vienna, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington. The Mdina Cathedral Museum currently hosts an impressive and unique collection of woodcuts and copper plates by the artist, and strongly recognises the importance of renovating the rooms where they are held. They truly deserve a better and more modern display.

The Cathedral Museum shall embark on the refurbishment project  of the Durer Collection Rooms.  The plan is to open the two adjacent rooms into one hall in order to exhibit the whole collection in a dignified space worthy of such internationally-famous works of art.  The project can be divided into different phases, as follows:

1. Infrastructure

Infrastructural works involving the removal of two walls and creating one single hall, followed by the furnishing of these walls.

2. Security

Specifically, the implementation of an effective network of countermeasures in order to ensure security for the artifacts and the visiting public, including alarms and CCTV cameras.

3. Marble flooring

The plan is to present the hall with new Carrara white marble slabs so as to match the rest of the corridors.

4. Illumination and Power Supply

In order to present the Durer engraving collection, a new lighting system is necessary to illuminate the hall with the latest art illumination and LED systems.

5. Hanging boards

The Hall is planned to be surrounded by adequate painted boards to host the engravings. These painted boards will be fixed to the wall to ensure security.

6. Frames

All prints will be individually framed and protected by museum glass. This procedure will require individual frames for the whole set of “The Life of the Virgin” consisting of 20 prints, “The Small Passion” consisting of 36 prints and other Durer’s consisting of 24 prints.

7. Didactics

Information captions are required for each and every engraving. An interactive information booth is required to help visitors understand:

1) Who was Durer;

2) How the collection was compiled by Conte Saverio Marchese (provenance);

3) How they were donated to the Cathedral Museum; 4) Engraving techniques.