Joseph Galea Naudi is known by all in the past and contemporary antiques trade as a true connoisseur of the Malta art and antiques scene he lived in for over 40 years. Now Joseph Sammut of Belgravia Auction Gallery will be putting up for auction part of Joe Galea Naudi's personal collection of fine and select antiques at his residence.
The auction is to be held over three days from 15 December. The 500 plus lots include collections of 18th C. European glass, Italian majolica and Chinese porcelain. The furniture element has some fine pieces chosen for their decorative and functional value.
Old Master paintings of quality adorn the house which clearly displays Mr Galea Naudi's flair for decoration and style. Various works of art are also included in the auction. The Mattia Preti attribution depicting the Conversion of Saul takes pride of place; a pair of 17th century battle scenes, among his latest acquisitions, are also included.
For many years an antique dealer with important contacts with many important and noble families, a good eye for quality, and a wide knowledge acquired through his ancestry and wide travel experiences, he managed to secure good and significant quality antiques to trade form his garage shop in Balluta and from his home, very often directly to numerous waiting clients he had.
In the later part of his life he served as curator for St John's Cathedral; he was consultant and advisor to several organizations and committees for major exhibitions; in the furniture in Malta exhibition set up by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, in 2002, Joe Galea Naudi was a major contributor to the Exhibition Catalogue. Today his legacy survives in the milestone ground-breaking book he published Antique Maltese Furniture in two versions, which worked on did together with Denise Micallef.
Further details and the catalogue are available at www.belgraviaauctions.com.
Viewing starts on Thursday, 11 December.