Thomas Vassallo Antiques of Merchants Street, Valletta, is presenting a unique collection entitled Curiosities in Easter.

The majority of the antique items being exhibited are unpublished and unknown to collectors and the general antiquarian art market in Malta.

Among the unique pieces is a rare letter dated November 30, 1806, by famous British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) addressed to his brother Rev. George Coleridge in which he makes references against the war with Napoleon. In the collection is a letter by General Napoleon Bonaparte before his invasion of the Maltese islands addressed to his general stationed in Italy.

Another featured item is a spectacular portrait by Antoine Favray (1706-1798) depicting an identified Maltese noble lady depicted in Ottoman attire and Turkish accessories after the artist’s return from Constantinople in 1771. This shows that he was still very much influenced by the colours of the Orient and other contemporary French Masters active in Constantinople during the mid-18th century.

Other items on exhibit include an unpublished work by Censu Apap, a rare work depicting the Pietà by Giuseppe Calì (1846-1930) the focal point suitable to the theme of Easter, and a rare watercolour by Francesco Zahra (1710-1773). Two studies by Edward Caruana Dingli (1876-1950) are on display.

Also on display is an outstanding collection of Maltese miniatures (balsamini) which derive from one single collection amassed back in the 1960s.

• Curiosities in Easter runs at Thomas Vassallo Antiques, Merchants Street, Valletta, between 10am and 4pm until Saturday.