Rare Knights-era books for Milan auction
Collectors have a keen interest in the history of the Order, says book expert
A collection of rare books, pamphlets and documents from the era of the Knights of St John is to go on auction in Milan.
The auction of 30 lots - mostly items from the 18th century related to legal, military and political affairs - will take place on Tuesday afternoon at the Wannenes auction house.
The section of Maltese items is part of a wider auction with a Mediterranean theme.
The item with the highest estimated value – between €3,000 and €5,000 -- is a manuscript tracing the history, statutes and institutional structure of the Order of Malta, beginning in 1048 when the Hospitallers were founded in Jerusalem, and continuing through to the early 17th century.
Another valuable work with an estimated value of between €2,800 and €3,500 is an illustrated tome edited by the knight Commander Giambattista Rondinelli and dedicated to Grand Master Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle, who reigned between 1582 and 1595.
The volume is adorned with 40 full-page copper engravings, including 51 portrait medallions of the Grand Masters by Philippe Thomassin, as well as key episodes from the Order's history and battles, a detailed map of Malta, and a plan of Valletta.
From the perspective of Maltese identity, arguably the most noteworthy item is a first edition of Della lingua punica presentemente usata da Maltesi by Maltese linguist Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis, published in 1750.
The rare volume puts forward the hypothesis that the Maltese language was derived from a Punic language, which was itself derived from Etruscan.
Other items are from the subsequent French and British periods, and include six rare pamphlets advocating for an independent Malta during the Congresses of Vienna, a series of meetings held in 1814 and 1815 primarily aimed at reshaping the political landscape of Europe after the Napoleonic Wars.
Riccardo Crippa, the head of the Books and Manuscripts Department at Wannenes, told Times of Malta the items belonged to several different owners.
“There is a lot of interest surrounding the Knights of Malta and any item related to the Order. Collectors are very passionate about the topic and often know more about the items than we do,” he said.