"Marchesi
Family"
Count Saverio Marchese (1757-1833): his picture gallery and his
bequest to the
Source: Proceedings of History Week 1982. [
Society, 1983(28-43)]
[p.28] Count Saverio Marchese (1757-1833): his Picture-Gallery and
his Bequest
to the
John Azzopardi
Picture collecting in
of the Knights, the nobility, wealthy people and a few scholars
and art lovers
centuries ago. Local and foreign artists commissioned to decorate
our churches
and palaces were also asked to decorate private houses and furnish
them with
portraits and other paintings. Two art collectors in the 18th
century, Marquis
Carlo Antonio Barbaro (1721-1793) and Marquis Testaferrata are
known to have
organized private museums at
respectively, following the example of Gian Francesco Abela
(1582-1655) who in
the 17th century organized a five-room archaeological museum at
Marsa, known as
Cabinetto San Giacomo which he later left to the Jesuits and which
was the
corner stone of the Cabinetto di Antichità, the predecessor
of our National
Museums. [1]
Inventories of the many art collections in private houses may have
been compiled by their respective owners in their own lifetime but
they were
certainly compiled in the interests of heirs and claimants
immediately after
their death. Many of these inventories are scattered in private
archives but the
public archives, namely the Notarial Archives, the Archives of the
Law Courts,
the newly organized Archives of the Fabrica di San Pietro and the
Acta Civilia
of the Maltese Inquisition and the volumes of the Spogli of the
members of the
Order of
study or even a list of these inventories would enormously
contribute to our
knowledge of art history in
An important art collection in the early 19th century was that of
Count Saverio Marchese, fourth son of Cavaliere Giuseppe Isidoro
and Serafina
Marmier. [2] Born in
at Collegio Novo, run by the Padri Scolopi. On
Anna Maria Camilleri Bianchi of Senglea: the nuptial mass was
celebrated by the
Inquisitor himself in the chapel of the Holy Office. [3] Saverio
was greatly
respected by the Order and the Church. On 8 March 1793 Grandmaster
De Rohan
invested him with the personal title of Count of Maimon. [4] For
four years —
between 1805 and 1809 he directed the Public Works Department as
Commissario
Generale dei Beni Publici. On
companionship (Cavaliere) of St Michael and St George was bestowed
on him. [5]
The Count kept his art collection at his residence in
corner to
at Attard. [7] He died on
Marchese’s main contribution was in the field of Culture and
Education. In 1823 he was appointed a member of the Committee set
up to make a
minute investigation into the system of education in the
and on
Council of the University under the chairmanship of the Hon. John
Hookham Frere.
[8]
Count Saverio Marchese cultivated literature, especially poetry,
[9]
the arts, history and especially local art history, [10]
archaeology, [11] and
also the [p.30] Maltese language. [12]
An obituary note in the Malta Government Gazette referred to his
death as a public loss and said of him:
‘As a nobleman of great erudition and well versed in ancient
and
modern literature no less than for the urbanity of his disposition
and pleasing
manners, his friendship was always sought and valued, by the most
distinguished
residents in
have been read in public and private circles, with delight and
admiration and
his taste for the fine arts attracted to his house visits from the
most
distinguished foreigners that have from time to time landed in our
islands and
who never failed to express their high sense of his
accomplishments and
political refinement.’ [13]
Above all Saverio Marchese was a connoisseur of art and a
collector
of paintings, drawings and especially prints. He was enough
fortunate to acquire
at moderate prices a part of the precious collection of old prints
belonging to
Cavalier Francesco Seratti of
is worth recounting. Francesco Seratti was the Grand Prior of the
Order of Santo
Stefano in
1796 Secretary of State in
was attacked by pirates and taken (with his collection) to
in 1811. [15] His precious collection of prints [16] was [p.31]
acquired by a
Turk and sent to
sold the collection to Canon Bellanti [18] who resold a good part
of it to John
Robert Steward of the Commercial Firm Struthers Steward and Co.,
[19] residing
at 61,
neighbour of Count Marchese, Steward was also a collector and
connoisseur of old
prints and drawings. [20] Before leaving
moderate prices a part of his collection to Count Marchese, a
second part he
auctioned at his residence on 2 and 3 March 1815 [21] and a third
part he
conveyed to
[p.32] Of all the old collectors Saverio Marchese was one of the
earliest, to my knowledge, to have left his collection of
paintings, drawings,
prints and art books as a legacy to a public institution —
the
Moreover the Count kept a most detailed register of all his
purchases from 1793 till his death in 1833. The register, running
into forty
manuscript pages, is entitled PRIMO COSTO. Spesa della Raccolta di
Stampe,
Quadri e Disegni ed anche argenti e d’altri giocali fatte
dal Conte Saverio
Marchese fin dal anno 1792. The purchases over a span of forty
years amounted to
about four hundred (an average of ten each year). About a hundred
persons are
documented to have provided art treasures: including painters and
artists,
second hand dealers, local craftsmen as jewellers, sculptors,
builders,
silversmiths and occasional sellers. [23] Through agents or
intermediaries works
of art were also [p.33] received from
prints, maps, frames, books, manuscripts, handmade paper,
furniture, silverware,
some jewellery, coins and medals, ceramics and even a relic.
Entries are
registered by date of acquisition, and give details of name,
surname, at times
nickname and location of seller, description of object, artistic
attribution and
occasionally a few artistic comments, older provenance when
available and any
eventual disposal by donation, sale or part exchange. Sincere
thanks are due to
Dr. John A. Cauchi who brought the register to my attention, thus
giving me the
opportunity to document the provenance of many paintings, old
master drawings
and especially engravings and etchings.
This register records 85 acquisitions of paintings and these
pictures must have formed a substantial, if not the main part, of
Count Saverio
Marchese’s picture-gallery.
The 85 paintings acquired include 26 religious subjects, a good
number of still life paintings and landscapes, some battle-pieces
and one
portrait of Grandmaster Perellos. Only a few of the religious
paintings are of a
devotional character; the greater part includes popular biblical
scenes as well
as saints pictured in the background of a landscape. Among the
religious
subjects are some of a high artistic quality as Scourging of
Christ by
Giovane,
Elsheimer and Adam and Eve by Bernardo Strozzi.
All the pictures, with the exception of 18, are given an
attribution
— the attributions given are as good as those of their
contemporaries. The
collector scrupulously distinguishes between an original and a
copy, between a
fairly certain and a dubious attribution, between an artist or his
pupil or his
style. In four cases he gives an alternative attribution (Guido or
Sirani,
Baciccio or Cangiagio, Locatelli or Van Falens, Correggio or
Turchetti). In
three cases of landscapes he records that the figures were added
by another
artist. Placido Costanzi completed a landscape of Van Bloemen,
Filippo Lauri
completed a work by Agostino Tassi and the elder son of the
painter Schranz
completed a landscape by Giuseppe Grech.
Fifty nine names of artists are recorded — thirty four of
these are
of an [p.34] Italian origin. Seven artists have a Flemish or a
Dutch origin,
namely Jourdaens, Wadder, Sadeler, Snyders, Bernaerd, Van Falens
and Van
Bloemen. Another five artists belong to the French school, namely
Volaire,
Petignon, Bisson, Perelle and of course Favray. The Maltese
interest is limited
to two Maltese artists, Michele Busuttil and Giuseppe Grech and
three others who
had settled in
An analysis of Marchese’s register of purchases reveals that
the
main bulk (sixty out of eighty fine paintings) was acquired in the
first decade
of the 19th century and more precisely between 1813 and 1817 when
no less than
50 paintings were purchased. Those were also the years of the
acquisition of the
Serratti collection.
Acquisitions are recorded from the painters Giorgio Pullicino,
Busuttil, Schranz and the Roman landscape painter Filippo Benucci,
who lived for
some time in
one of the finest paintings in the collection, Adam and Eve
expelled from
Four acquisitions were obtained from the
Attard Don Martino Zerafa, Salvatore Ittar, Mastro Antonio
Ebanista, Signor
Ricci Romano, Signor Zamboni Romano, Signor Medeschini. Mr Henry
Steward
(possibly another member of the Commercial Firm Struthers Steward
& Co) and the
second hand dealers Mattio II Gaup, Celestre, Mustaccia and
Cabaretta all
provided Saverio Marchese with pictures. An acquisition is also
recorded from
the inheritance of a certain Mr Bruno.
The largest group (sixteen paintings) was acquired from
Marchese’s
great friend Filippo Benucci who was himself a painter and
designer of
lithographs. [25] It is curious that Benucci’s lithographs
of
drawings, [p.36] engraved by Filippo Giuntotardi, do not figure in
what is left
of Marchese’s collection of prints. Benucci arrived in
settled in
with prints including some by Dürer, Callot, etc. Marchese
also provided Benucci
with ceramics and other objects.
A group of nine paintings was acquired from the Maltese painter
Giorgio Pullicino whereas a total of eight pictures was purchased
from the
second hand dealer Mattio.
Only three pictures were bought at what may be considered an
excessive price: a Wolves and Dogs, attributed to Snyders, bought
for 250 scudi,
a canvas showing David purchased for 150 scudi a Still Life
painting by Nicholas
Bernaerd, also acquired for 150 scudi. The last one is not known
to be extant;
the first one preserved in the
although an excellent copy — of an original by Snyders
preserved at the Brera
Gallery,
The great majority of Saverio Marchese’s collection was
indeed
acquired at very moderate prices. To quote a few examples: two
fine 16th century
oils on copper,
of Adam Elsheimer, only cost ten scudi; the Scourging of Christ by
Giovane was acquired for fifteen scudi whereas the famous
Explusion from
Bernardo Strozzi was only bought for 10 scudi (three times that
amount was paid
to Schranz for the picture’s relining and restoration).
A few valuable items, however, received a fair estimate of their
true value. These include the fine oval on copper by Orizzonte and
Placido
Costanzi (51 scudi) and the two grand harbour scenes by Antonio
Schranz each
costing 60 scudi.
Not that all these purchases were paid for in cash. Thirteen
pictures were paid in kind or partly in kind. Exchanges were
accepted especially
by Benucci and Mattio, the second hand dealer. Marchese offered in
exchange
other pictures, prints, ceramics, books (included one on the
Index),
manuscripts, a silver clock, an ivory pax and a stock of old linen
tassels.
Marchese’s register does not fail to note a few subsequent
donations
and [p.36] sales. The donations included a Nativity by Michele
Busuttil.
Baroncino Sceberras D’Amico bought from Marchese a few
paintings, namely two
landscapes by Locatelli. A Head on panel by Correggio or Turchetti
purchased for
three scudi and four tarì was restored in
scudi and two tarì and resold to an Englishman, Mr Corner,
for the value of 102
scudi: the exorbitant profit of 86 scudi and 6 tarì being
taken care of by
Marchese’s friend, Benucci.
Although the main bulk of the Marchese collection was presumably
obtained by purchase, the collection certainly included other
items acquired by
inheritance from the family. These included the family portraits
and a number of
canvases painted by a great friend of the Marchese family, Antoine
Favray. [26]
Several members of the family had been portrayed in
others were portrayed by Favray, including Saverio himself and his
wife
Serafina. [28] The collection also included a portrait or
self-portrait of
Favray.
The collection also included 26 pictures acquired from the side of
his wife Anna Maria, all listed in an appendix to their last will
and including
originals by Francesco Zahra, Giuseppe Arena, Manno of Palermo and
Melchior Roos
as well as copies by Stefano Erardi. The group included 6 still
life paintings,
8 religious subjects and 8 family portraits.
Finally the Count’s collection also included a small group
of copies
on canvas in the Count’s own hand. Saverio was fond of
documenting pictures of
historical interest and also fond of drawing on paper objects of
archaeological
[p.37] value. Detailed descriptions of historical interest
accompanied these
copies. [29]
In his last will stipulated in the acts of Notary Cristofano
Frendo
on
priceless collection of paintings, drawings, prints and art books.
He did not
want to let the collection disperse but tied it up with the
conditions of a
pre-legacy, except for the family portraits, the paintings
belonging to his wife
and the pictures located in his country villa. He himself had no
children and
his preference for the male line induced him to limit the safe
keeping of the
legacy to the line of his only extant brother Vincenzo, to the
exclusion of his
two sisters Maria Amalia married to Giovanni Baptista Grognet and
Marcella
Ferdinanda married to Dr Gioacchino Bencini. The collection was
only to be
preserved by the Count’s nephew Dr Giuseppe Maria Marchese
and his sisters
Teresa, Serafina and Irene as well as their children. [30]
[p.38] But Saverio Marchese also contemplated a situation that was
likely to happen and that in fact did happen 63 years later; the
extinction of
the four lines of his brother Vincenzo. In that eventuality he had
determined:
‘I want to have the above mentioned paintings, drawings and
prints deposited and
preserved for ever in the hall and library of the Cathedral
Chapter.’ [31] Count
Marchese’s gesture is certainly one of the earliest examples
of a legacy of a
substantial art collection to a public institution.
Saverio’s example, however,
was followed at the turn of this century by a few others who
donated other
collections, even though less significant in number and value.
Donations or
bequests to our national museums were made by Dr Edgar Parnis in
1912-1913, Mrs
Zammit Clapp in 1918, Count Messina in 1920 and Mrs Salvina Zahra
of
1965. Important collections were also donated by Prof. John Borg
(1873-1945),
Antonio Sciortino (1879-1947), Chev. Edward Caruana Dingli
(1877-1950), Olaf
Frederick Gollcher (1889-1962) and George Borg (born 1906). In
1960 notary
Francesco Catania bequeathed his complete collection to the Parish
Church of St
Paul’s,
fiftieth anniversary of the death of Count Saverio Marchese. His
fine and
generous gesture deserves to be commemorated. His example too
deserves to be
followed.
[p.39] APPENDIX I
Paintings acquired by purchase. Source: Count Marchese’s
Register of purchases,
entitled Primo Costo.
1-2 1796.
Purchased from the painter Antonie Favray at the price of 11
scudi two canvases executed by Favray himself representing (1)
Greek Costumes
and (2) Turkish Costumes.
3-6 1804. From
painter Giorgio Pullicino for 25 scudi: (3) Two Putti by
Cangiagio; (4) Two Putti by Baciccio; (5) Fair of Frascati, artist
unknown and
(6) Conspiracy of Masaniello, artist unknown. Item no 4 later
included, at an
estimate of 50 scudi, in a part exchange with a canvas depicting
Wolves and
Hounds (see item 45).
7
Before 1806. From painter Giorgio Pullicino for 12 scudi and 6
tarì
(7) St Francis by Jourdaens. The picture was preserved in the
Count’s country
house at Attard.
8-9 1807. From
the second-hand dealer Mattio nicknamed Il Guapp for 4
scudi 6 tarì (8) Flowers and Monkey, artist unknown and (9)
Hunting Scene with
Dogs, copy after Castiglione. The former was kept in the
Count’s country house,
the latter not pleasing the purchaser was resold to the Russian Mr
Frederick,
through the dealer Sigismondo Dimech, for 18 scudi, 9 tarì.
10
1808. The Christ Child carrying the Cross, on copper, for 3 scudi.
Artist and seller unknown.
11 1808.
From Mattio for 7 scudi a Flemish Landscape by Wadder.
12-13 1808. From
Mattio estimated at 46 scudi 8 tarì, Two Battle-pieces by
Antonio Tempesta. Paid for by other objects. Placed in the Attard
Country house.
14
1809. From Mattio for 20 scudi Mocking of Christ attributed to
Carracci. Placed in the country house.
15-16 1811. From
Mattio for 2 scudi 8 tarì two unattributed paintings. (15)
Venetian Flowers and (16) Portrait of Grand Master Perellos.
17-18 1811. From
scudi 6 tarì and (18) an unattributed Landscape for 2 scudi
6 tarì. Item 17 was