The first of a two-part article on the life and times of the eminent English painter who was one of the early foreign residents of Malta

Waller Rodwell Wright, the king’s assessor in Malta (later president of the Court of Appeal), wearing masonic paraphernalia. Portrait engraved in 1813 by Charles Knight, after Edmund Scott. Photo: Albert Ganado CollectionWaller Rodwell Wright, the king’s assessor in Malta (later president of the Court of Appeal), wearing masonic paraphernalia. Portrait engraved in 1813 by Charles Knight, after Edmund Scott. Photo: Albert Ganado Collection

One of the very first writings about British painter Charles Allingham seems to be the letter written by the artist Giuseppe Calleja (1828-1915) on May 4, 1881.

It is one of the original documents kept in a scrapbook by Fred Gatt, Capt., RMFA, and I assume it was sent to him by Calleja. It is inserted in Gatt’s diary next to the date September 17, 1850, where he wrote in Italian that Allingham had died of cholera and that he was an eminent English painter, one of the early foreign residents of Malta.

Frederick Gatt was born on December 6, 1841, son of William and Giuseppa Montanaro. He was promoted captain in the Royal Malta Fencible Regiment in 1872, which dates the said scrapbook. He died as lieutenant colonel on September 22, 1892. When Allingham passed away, he was only nine years old. For some reason he wished to obtain some information (qualche contezza) on the artist. He thus approached one of the brothers of Giuseppe Calleja, and by the said letter of May 4, 1881, the latter wrote that, from what he could recall, Allingham was a friend of artist Giuseppe Hyzler (1787-1858), his own teacher, and that they used to meet pretty often. He was 70 or 75 years old, tall and of refined manners. He had an excellent character and was always busy painting. A great friend of the family of Nicholas John Aspinall, he lived at Casal Paola. Late in life, he had painted a portrait of Magistrate Harper and also of Aspinall advanced in years.

The following are the contents of the letter.

Allingham had executed various other portraits, among which those of the Augustinian Padre Maestro Vella and the provincial of the Capuchins at Floriana. The former lies inside the sacristy of St Augustine and the latter in the Capuchin cloister. He was also a landscape painter but not so successful.

Gatt’s scrapbook ended up in my collection because his sister Carmela had married my grandfather Dr (later Judge) Luigi Ganado (1833-1903). When Joe Calleja was writing a biography of the artist Calleja, I had shown him this letter with permission to publish it, which indeed he did on page 77 of his book. He wrote that it was extant in the diary of Captain Gatt, but no mention of the sources was made and no acknowledgement was recorded.

Sir John Richardson. Engraved portrait published in London on April 1826 by R. Crib & Son, of no. 288, Holborn, London. Photo: Albert Ganado CollectionSir John Richardson. Engraved portrait published in London on April 1826 by R. Crib & Son, of no. 288, Holborn, London. Photo: Albert Ganado Collection

After almost a century-and-a-half since Allingham’s demise, he came to life once more in two lengthy articles published by Judge Giovanni Bonello in 1999 in his Discoveries and Recoveries.

Three years ago, Georgina Pavia, a student in the course of Master of Arts in history of arts at the University of Malta, dedicated her dissertation  to a full biography of the artist, titled Charles Allingham (c.1778-1850): The Socio-Artistic Context for his work in Malta. Lately, she kindly gave me a copy.

These studies gave me the opportunity to publish Giuseppe’s letter of 1881 and put the record straight, although the letter was listed under ‘Sources and Bibliography’ relating to Allingham in the Encyclopedia of Artists with a Malta Connection published in 2018 by the present author and Antonio Espinosa Rodriguez.

It is not known where Allingham resided in the early days but his studio in 1830 was in Strada Reale, corner with Strada San Giovanni. His residence when he died in 1850 was at 59, Strada San Domenico, for which he was paying a yearly rent of 400 scudi. Apparently, he always lived at Valletta and the reference to Casal Paola in the said letter was a reference to Aspinall. Indeed, the honourable Nicholas John Aspinall died on January 19, 1857, at his residence in Tarxien, according to the Malta Times, Casal Paola to be more precise.

Born in 1786, he came to Malta at the age of 25. On November 28, 1818, at the collegiate church of St Paul in Valletta, he married Marianne Galizia, daughter of Giuseppe and Regina née Zerafa. The parents of Nicholas were James and Elisa. In the late 1830s, he lived in St Julian’s at Palazzo Spinola, but the registered address of both Nicholas and James in 1849 was 7, Strada Mercanti. What happened to his portrait is not known.

The portrait of Magistrate Harper, mentioned by Calleja, suffered the same fate. Born on August 15, 1790, Charles Harper arrived in Malta from Falmouth in 1817 or 1818, only a few years after Waller Rodwell Wright (1775-1826), who was appointed assessor to the government of Malta by Sir Thomas Maitland on December 14, 1814.

Harper occupied various government posts and he was appointed magistrate of Malta’s judicial police on July 1, 1839, although he had no law degree. He committed suicide on November 24, 1874.

His residence when he died in 1850 was at 59, Strada San Domenico, Valletta

Although Harper’s portrait by Allingham is wanting, he was portrayed as a sitting magistrate in 1846 during the carnival riots.It was published by Richard Taylor in his booklet Il-carnival [sic] ta’ Malta tat-Tnein [sic] u Għoxrin ta’ Frar, Elf Tmien Mija Sitta u Erbgħin, and reproduced by me in the folklore journal L-Imnara, number 39.

The letter written by Giuseppe Calleja on Allingham, dated May 4, 1881. Photo: Albert Ganado CollectionThe letter written by Giuseppe Calleja on Allingham, dated May 4, 1881. Photo: Albert Ganado Collection

Another oil portrait of a Britisher in Malta by Allingham seems to have gone unnoticed. The sitter was Robert Clement Sconce (1787-1846), who came to Malta with his family in January 1824. Two years later, he was appointed Agent Victualler to HM’s Navy at Malta.

His work took him away from Malta on various occasions, but in April 1841, he wrote from Malta to his son Bob that Allingham was painting his portrait and the artist seemed “to be extra anxious to do it extra well”.

Sconce thought that his face was not very easy to copy as he had no remarkable features. Later, having seen his picture being done, Sconce wrote that as far as he could judge, it would be like when the artist would have duly furrowed the cheeks and forehead.

At that moment, it looked like five-and-thirty (Sconce was then 54), but admirably painted. He did not know when he had seen “a head so separate itself from the canvas”. Hopefully, Sconce was happier with the finished painting.

We learn from the correspondence of Sconce with his family in England that in February 1825, he was introduced to Lady Richardson, the wife of Sir John who had come to Malta for the sake of his health. He soon became familiar with them and he found Sir John “a very pleasant, and good, and scholar-like man”.

On November 18, 1824, Sir John Richardson (1771-1841) was appointed by the Royal Commission to enquire into the laws of Malta and the administration of justice. His report was never published but my father had obtained a typed copy. It was not long before Allingham painted a portrait of Sir John, which has not so far been traced.

But I have in my collection a reproduction ‘Engraved by Benjn. Hall’ after Allingham (plate mark 38 x 30.5cm) dated April 1, 1826, published in London by R. Cribb & Son, of no. 288, Holborn, London.

Captain Frederick Gatt, 1872. Photo: Albert Ganado CollectionCaptain Frederick Gatt, 1872. Photo: Albert Ganado Collection

Sconce was an artist and a dear friend of Allingham. He roamed all over the Maltese islands and he made sketches of all the garden and greenhouse plants he could find, especially the rare ones.

In March 1825, he visited Gozo together with Abbé Giuseppe Bellanti (1787-1861) and his brother Dr Michele (1807-1883), two Maltese fellow artists.

They went to look at the ‘Cyclopean’ ancient temples (Il-Ġgantija). Sconce wrote home: “I shall make drawings of them, as I always do of everything worth having”. He referred to the Abbé as his “chief crony” who often went to his home. Michele went to see Sconce making a drawing of St John.

In April 1825, he wrote that he and the Bellantis used to spend five hours a day with their master. In 1833, he modelled in clay a basso-rilievo to form (in marble) the front of the sarcophagus erected in memory of Sir Henry Hotham at the Upper Barrakka.

Meanwhile, Allingham joined the group. Sconce wrote to his daughter in June 1844 that he had made a drawing of the rooms at their residence (probably Palazzo Spinola at St Julian’s).

Allingham and Michele said that it had turned out very well. It was just like the reality. He also made a drawing of a group of trees at the Boschetto (Buskett). He was attracted to it by the effect of light and shade. It cost him a great deal of work and Allingham said it had turned out capitally.

To be concluded

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