One of the oldest items in the collection of artefacts housed inside the Chamber of Advocates' premises is a contemporary portrait of Judge Vincenzo Bonavita (1752-1829). This painting is now undergoing conservation and restoration thanks to a generous donation by two of the judge's descendants: the brothers Roger and Martin Vella Bonavita. Vincenzo Bonavita had the distinction of serving as Judge under the Order of St John, the French and the British.
Roger Vella Bonavita explained how he and his brother Martin, who both moved to Perth in Western Australia in the early 1980s only learnt of the existence of this painting earlier this year.
"Judge Bonavita is our great, great, great, great grandfather from our paternal grandmother's side and the most illustrious member of our family. We would not like our family name to be forgotten and this is why when we learned that the Chamber of Advocates wished to restore his portrait as it was not in a good condition, we offered to meet the cost. Our offer was immediately accepted and the portrait was quickly consigned to the restorers."
The painting is now undergoing the necessary treatment by professional restorers and conservators PrevArti and work is envisaged to be completed by January of next year.
Restorer Pierre Bugeja from PrevArti explained how the painting was in a bad state of conservation due to the fact that it was never varnished and had been exposed to water infiltration in the past.
"The canvas has a number of deformations throughout due to the broken strainer frame and the past exposure to water, while the paint layer is very unstable and various losses are already visible throughout. The decorative frame is in a bad state of conservation too both from a structural and an aesthetical point of view, however, conservation and restoration are now proceeding very well. All necessary repairs to the original canvas have been made and the picture has been re-stretched on its stretcher frame. The paint layer has also been cleaned and the paint losses infilled with gesso and ready for the next phase which involves the retouching process followed by the restoration of its decorative frame."
Vincenzo Bonavita's last direct descendant was Captain John Bonavita RMA (1880-1975) who died childless. John Bonavita deserves a footnote in Maltese history. On 7 June 1919 he was despatched from Castille (then the army HQ in Valletta) with a party of Maltese troops to Kingsway (now Republic Street) where rioters were sacking the Palazzo Francia opposite the Royal Opera House. He refused to order his troops to fire on the people and returned to Castille when the rioters dispersed. His British superior officers accused him of failing to carry out orders but Lt Bonavita (he was promoted to Captain on retirement a few years later) justified his inaction on the grounds that his orders were to ensure the safety of lives and no one was being hurt at that time.
Roger Vella Bonavita recalls: "I remember asking him why he had not opened fire to which he replied that he could not in conscience order Maltese troops to shoot Maltese civilians."
Some History
The first Bonavita to come to Malta was a Venetian Judge named Biagio who was married to Isabella from Forli. He settled in Malta in 1600. The Bonavitas flourished in Malta and were mainly lawyers, judges and notaries. One member of the family, Salvatore Bonavita, was secretary of the Consolato del Mare. The family became very wealthy by Maltese standards.
Vincenzo Bonavita had inherited a large house in what is now Republic Street close to St Elmo on the Marsamxetto side as well as a large country house in Attard, a summer house in St Paul's Bay overlooking the Menqa near Gillieru, another substantial house in Msida (now demolished) opposite the parish church as well as many other properties in Malta and Gozo.
Judge Vincenzo Bonavita and his family, like so many members of the Maltese intelligentia, were very influenced by the ideals of the French Revolution. A failed uprising against the Knights under Grandmaster De Rohan saw the involvement of a certain Giuseppe Bonavita (a son of Vincenzo Bonavita). News of his "treason" reached the Order and he was arrested in Naples. He was released when de Rohan died but on returning to Malta shortly before Napoleon's conquest of Malta in June 1798, he was arrested and flung into prison at St Angelo. Vincenzo Bonavita's diary (now in the library of the University) records that he visited Giuseppe in prison but "did not know" why he had been imprisoned. Giuseppe Bonavita died in St Angelo or was summarily executed just as the government of the Order collapsed.
Judge Bonavita and his relatives were among those Maltese who demanded that Hompesch come to an agreement with the French (that is, to surrender) and indeed in his memoires, Hompesch's secretary Doublet, accuses the Bonavitas (including Vincenzo) of being in the forefront of the Maltese who plotted for a French takeover of Malta. In fact Vincenzo kept his position as judge under the French and was in time to be appointed judge by the British.
Vincenzo's diary records that during the siege of Valletta the house was struck by a cannon ball fired from the battery of Għargħur which nearly killed his daughter. He also records that he used a telescope on the bastions of Valletta to look at his house in Attard. He saw that it had been badly damaged. Eventually as the situation in Valletta deteriorated Vincenzo and his family left the city. He was arrested and tried for treason and exiled to Gozo. Here he prudently learned how to speak English. Sometime after the French surrendered he was allowed back to Malta and subsequently pardoned and eventually reinstated as judge. He repaired his house in Attard and embellished it.
He set up primogeniture for his son Carlo Antonio Bonavita and his first born male descendants. Carlo Antonio Bonavita JUD was a very successful lawyer. In 1810 he married into the nobility (Testaferrata) and in 1819 was ennobled by the king of Naples as Count of San Paulino di Aquilejo. The subsequent descendants of Vincenzo Bonavita were able to live comfortable lives.