Latest Aquisition

Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna has acquired an original watercolour painting by the German/Danish painter Charles Fredrick Brockdorff (also Brocktorff)(1775-1850) titled “View of the Governor’s Palace in the City of Valletta, Island of Malta”. The mounted and framed painting measures 61cm x 73cm while the image itself measures 37cm x 55cm.

Brockdorff had fought in the Napoleonic wars as an infantry officer with the forces of the Electorate of Hanover before moving to England after 1809. At about 1810, he settled in Malta where he opened an art studio in Valletta. His business prospered and his four artist sons eventually joined to continue to enrich the family enterprise. Brockdorff painted mainly for travellers visiting Malta and servicemen in the garrison for whom he captured whatever interested them, such as St Johns Co-Cathedral, the Governors’ Palace, the Auberges, the Public Library and magnificent views of the Grand Harbour. He also portrayed various classes of Maltese society for the benefit of English buyers who were curious to know how the Maltese lived. Two albums containing a total of 89 watercolours by Brockdorff are located at the National Library of Malta. One of them collected in around 1829 or 1830 originally belonged to Frederick Ponsonby, Governor of Malta. The other was compiled in around 1849 by Henry Benjamin Hanbury Beaufoy after he had purchased the watercolours from an auction of the contents of Stowe House a Grade I listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England originally home to the Temple family. Both albums were acquired by the National Library of Malta in the 1920s, and studies of their contents were published in 2007 and 2008.

On 27th February 1933, this aquarelle was presented along with a small bow fronted chest to Mr Campsie in appreciation of his work provided to the association in the Palace, Malta by Lady Cecilia Fisher on account of the Committee and Naval sub-committee of the SSAFA - Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association, Malta.

This painting was acquired by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna for display at the Malta Time-Gun Museum in Valletta on account of the first Malta Time-ball being featured in it (top left corner). A black ball was hoisted daily on the flagstaff of the Palace naval signal station at 11.55hrs to be dropped precisely at noon as the noon-day gun was fired at the saluting Battery. This painting is probably the earliest one to feature this time signal.

This acquisition was made possible through personal donations made by supporters and friends of FWA. Should you wish to make an online contribution please use this link: https://www.wirtartna.org/donate