Gianni to be auctioned in Lincoln

A painting featuring the Grand Harbour by Girolamo Gianni will be auctioned by Thomas Mawer and Son in Lincoln, England.

The 19th century painting is expected to fetch between £2,000 and £4,000 when it goes under the hammer on September 6.

Auctioneer Clinton Slingsby said: "These paintings do not come onto the market very often and we have already had interest from a Maltese buyer. We expect a lot of interest on sale day".

The vendor, who did not wish to be named, inherited the painting from a relative.

Gianni was born in Naples in 1837 and first visited Malta in 1866. He returned two years later together with his family to live and work in Valletta, where he produced many paintings of the harbour and other views of the country.

In 1886, Gianni was commissioned by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Commander-In-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in Malta, to paint the ships of the fleet.

For the next two decades, he did landscapes and marine paintings and the majority of these works were bought by army and navy officers.

When he died in 1895, the local newspaper hailed him as a "great painter of Maltese scenery".