Gianni's Valletta harbour painting fetches record price of £14,250
A painting of Valletta harbour by Girolamo Gianni was bought at an auction in Lincoln, England by a Maltese collector living in England for a "record price" of £14,250. The 19th century oil painting was estimated to fetch between £2,000 and £4,000 and...
A painting of Valletta harbour by Girolamo Gianni was bought at an auction in Lincoln, England by a Maltese collector living in England for a "record price" of £14,250.
The 19th century oil painting was estimated to fetch between £2,000 and £4,000 and attracted a huge amount of interest. Three bids were left by Maltese buyers on the books before the sale and four telephone bidders from Malta, London, Scotland and Surrey and another buyer in the room competed for the lot.
Bidding started at £4,500 and rose rapidly until only one buyer was left on the phone and another in the room. Finally, the painting was sold to the buyer in the room for £14,250.
The vendor of the painting, who does not wish to be named, lives in Lincolnshire and inherited it from a relative. She was "very pleased and surprised" with the price it achieved and intends to donate some of the proceeds to two charities, the St Barnabus Hospice on Nettleham Road, Lincoln, and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Auctioneer Clinton Slingsby, from Thomas Mawer and Son Ltd, said: "This is an extremely good picture painted in Gianni's usual style and portraying the harbour on a vivid, sunlit day with an azure blue sky - the hallmark of many of his coastal scenes".
Girolamo Gianni (1837-1895) was born in Naples and initially visited Malta in 1866. Two years later he returned with his family to live and work in Valletta where he produced many paintings of the harbour and other views of the country.
1In 1886, he 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 painted landscapes and marine paintings and the majority of these works were bought by army and navy officers.
When he died in 1895, a newspaper called him the "great painter of Maltese scenery".
Thomas Mawer and Son Ltd is one of the East Midlands' leading specialist auctioneers, handling antiques, works of art, ceramics, jewellery and collectables.