In the run-up to the 2018 Schranz Artists Bicentenary celebrations, John Schranz’s fifth article adopts a different viewpoint. Among the nearly 400 works offered for the exhibition are some whose owners discovered their painting’s importance when reading descriptions of ‘lost works’ in this series. Discussed here are some ‘finds’ and some works still ‘missing’.
Current research on the Schranz artists’ times, lives and works is revealing much about them that was previously unknown. Much is coming to light: frescos, murals, portraits, sculpture and gilding work by Anton in Menorca, works Giovanni Schranz presented in the 1867 Paris World Exhibition, Antonio Schranz’s 1848 photographic studio in Cairo... opened 10 years before any other.
Interestingly, landscapes appear to be predominant, while ‘lost’, little known or unknown (though important) works are coming to light. This brief article lists some of these.
Identified recently in Buckingham Palace are two masterly works – the ‘paintings of our two harbours’ mentioned in Anton Schranz’s obituary as his gifts to William IV.
Three important Giovanni works came to light: a Grand Harbour view from a second floor window helps locate the Schranzes’ Strada Sant’ Ursola home, bombed in WWII; an 1874 painting of bandits ambushing an approaching carriage shows that 80-year-old Giovanni was approaching Realism; one of his Paris 1867 exhibits shows a catastrophic storm wrecking several ships, while the second Paris exhibit, Valley of Jehoshaphat, is hanging unrecognised somewhere.
‘Shading’ in foreground rocks of a ‘Schranz’ watercolour, revealed itself as Melita Schranz’s signature.
Anton’s eldest daughter Maria Ana, a successful miniature portrait painter, wife of author and publisher Giovanni Quintana, advertised giving lessons at her studio, 340, Strada San Paolo (now part of the building of Allied Newspapers Ltd).
Watercolours discovered recently are by her daughter Angelica – a ninth Schranz artist.
A miniature portrait attributed to ‘a Schranz’ may be Maria Ana’s work – owners of miniature portraits are encouraged to check them carefully for signatures or inscriptions.
Descendants of the Quintana-Schranz lineage are kindly invited to contact the author at the e-mail address at the end of this article.
A special appeal goes for two items:
(1) A September 1989 photocopy Christie’s made when contacted by a client “via Attard” regarding a sketchbook’s “attribution and saleability”, has since become almost illegible. The original sketchbook could provide crucial information.
(2) Regarding a portfolio of Antonio Schranz’s sandstorms and storms at sea, Dominic Cutajar, former curator of the Museum of Fine Arts, wrote: “In 19th century Maltese art, Antonio emerges as the sole authentic Romantic artist”. This portfolio could be a gold-mine.
The Mdina 1987 Schranz exhibition featured an oil on cardboard showing two ships in rough seas. On its verso were inscribed HMS Cambrian and an attribution to Costantino, Giovanni’s son, who died aged 25. It would be the only work by Costantino in the exhibition, but it has not yet materialised.
No. 6, Strada Sant’ Ursola, also housed Antonio Schranz’s and Nicola Ardoino’s photographic studio. There surely are many cartes de visite bearing their logo, but only three are known. Antonio also made several photographs of townscapes, mostly salt prints and albumen prints. He always signed them.
Gioivanni Quintana writes that Antonio was painting Malta’s churches to later publish them as lithographs. No such oil paintings have yet come to light.
Owners who recognise any of the ‘lost’ Schranz paintings mentioned in this article are invited to e-mail schranz@heritagemalta.org.
Access to other material relative to the Schranz artists, such as letters, receipts for commissioned paintings, or any other documents, would be greatly appreciated.