Malta scenes in Bonhams auction

International fine art auctioneers Bonhams will be holding a sale of travel and topographical pictures at their New Bond Street saleroom in London on April 29. The sale includes a wide range of works by Maltese artists, many of which depict scenes of Malta in the 1800 and 1900s.

Some of the most prominent pieces are by the artist Vittorio Amadeo, 5th Count Preziosi (Maltese, 1816-1882), including 90 watercolours of Les Gueux à Constantinople valued at around £30,000-£50,000 (Lm18,000-30,000). These had been purchased in Istanbul in the 1950s and handed down to the present owner.

Preziosi was born into a wealthy and aristocratic Maltese family and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1840. On returning to Malta he found his father to be opposed to his artistic inclinations and so he left the island for Constantinople, Bonhams say in the auction publicity material.

His exact date of arrival in Constantinople is not known but it was around November 1842 and Preziosi soon established his reputation as a painter of contemporary Constantinople life. He worked from a studio at Pera and familiarised himself with all Turkish manners and customs.

In 1858, in collaboration with Lemercier in Paris "Stamboul; Recollections of Eastern Life" was published with Preziosi providing 29 illustrations to be lithographed.