Lonely Valley, Zebugg, Malta

Lonely Valley, Zebugg, Malta

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451

Edward Lear (1812-1888)
Lonely Valley of Zebbug, Malta

inscribed with title lower left and dated March 28. 2.15 PM lower right
pen and ink and watercolour over pencil
6 ¼ by 9 ½ inches

Lear arrived in Malta in December 1865. He knew that a friend and patron Sir Henry Storks, who had previously been High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands from 1859 until 1863, was now Commander-in-Chief in Malta. Storks had just departed however but Lear stayed on Malta until April 1866.

The town of Zebbug stands in the centre of the island of Malta. The name means literally `olives' and derives from the large number of olive groves which stood in the vicinity of the old town. Another view of the Lonely Valley, Zebbug drawn at 3pm on 28
th March 1866 was sold at Christie's on 22nd November 1977, lot 189

Provenance:
J.P.W. Cochrane;
Private Collection until 2007