A late 18^th / early 19^th century Maltese colonial silver beaker, circa 1798-1800 and dated 1801 by Gaetano Offennaghel (reg. 1796)

De Rohan / Siege Period. Of plain gently tapering cylindrical form with a gently everted lip. Engraved underneath with an inscription reading “To commemorate the capture of the Capture of L. Espiegle French Gun Brig off the Island of Bomba on the Coast of Lybia, by His Maj^ys Ship La Modeste 17 May 1801.” Engraved to the front with a probably slightly later crest of a castle triple-towered, out of the middle tower a demi-lion, all encircled in the motto Virtute et fide. Marked underneath with clenched fist with dagger, crowned F for French standard (956 standard), and maker’s mark GO with fleur-de-lis (Farrugia 183 a).

Height – 10.1 cm / 4 inches

Weight – 137 grams / 4.4 ozt

The crest is for Harley, as borne by the Earls of Oxford and Mortimer (GB, 1711 - 1853)

The Modeste was a 36 gun ship French Toulon built Fifth Rate frigate 'La Modeste' (1786) designed by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb, captured 17^th October 1793, and broken up June 1814. The commander in 1800 was Martin Hinton (service 1779 to c.1801), who severed as First-Lieutenant of the Agamemnon under Nelson. For the Modeste in 1801 the acting lieutenant was William Borough (1781-1852), and the midshipman was George Hubert Rye (1782-1854).

16 Oct 1800 Portsmouth, departed with the Dido, and Resource, with troops for the Mediterranean.

8 Mar to 2 Sep 1801 service off the coast of Egypt.

17 Mar 1801 the French aviso L'Espeigle, from Brindise bound to Tarento ; taken by the Modeste, Hinton.

The Gulf of Bomba, is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya. It is named after the Libyan village of Bomba.

Another beaker by this maker, also with these marks and engraved with a British crest (for Faulkner), is illustrated Farrugia, J., (1992). Antique Maltese Domestic Silver, Valetta: Said International. P.38.

Gaetano Offennaghel was one of the more prolific Maltese silversmiths of this period, often suppling British type wares, alongside Stefano Ittar, Gioacchino Lebrun, Vincenzo Psaila, and later on Emidio Critien. It is evident that these marks, which are listed as ending in 1797, are often found on flatware in Old English pattern, and other holloware engraved with British crests. These English-type wares probably date to the period from October 1798 when Sir Alexander Ball (1757-1809) arrived in Malta, and a year later he was appointed as Civil Commissioner. On the 28^th October 1798, Ball successfully completed negotiations with the French garrison on the small island of Gozo, acting a British base. Valetta remained fortified by the French at this time. A teapot very much in the French manner, with marks traditionally ascribed to the Ball period for circa 1800 was sold these rooms 11 October 2023, lot 241.

It is not surprising that the period of the Siege of Malta (1798-1800) may have disrupted the making of silver and the marks used, evidently some issues within the silversmiths trade continued in the years after 1801 (Ball period) for on the “1st October 1810, under the signature of Mr E F Chapman, Public Secretary, by order of His Majesty's Civil Commissioner, read that 'to put a stop to the frauds which, to the great detriment of the Public, have of late been committed in regard to the sale of articles manufactured of adulterated gold and silver, His Excellency Lieutenant General Oakes, His Majesty's Civil Commissioner, besides directing the necessary measures to be adopted for the discovery and punishment of the principal offenders, has ordered a new stamp to be prepared […]”

The beginning of the British period

The capture of Malta gave control of the central Mediterranean to Britain and was an important step in the invasion and liberation of Egypt from French rule in 1801. In 1801 Sir Alexander Ball (1757-1809) was replaced as Civil Commissioner by Charles Cameron. The Maltese leaders petitioned Ferdinand IV of Sicily to transfer his sovereign rights over the Maltese Islands to George III of Great Britain. The Peace Treaty of Amiens (March 1802) between Britain and France however the Maltese leaders were not happy with the conditions of the treaty. Their reaction came in June 1802 when they met and drafted the Declaration of Rights of the Maltese Islands and its Dependencies. In this document, the Maltese declared their ancient rights and the way they wanted to be governed by the British. The document was given to Charles Cameron, Civil Commissioner, who presented it to the King. In May 1803 the war between Britain and France started again. The British then decided to stay in Malta. The British had by then recognized the strategic position of Malta as a naval base for the British fleet in the Mediterranean.