Grand Harbor, Valletta, Malta

• Oil on Canvas
• Signed

This painting depicts a Mediterranean harbor at sunset. The location appears to be the Grand Harbor of Malta’s main port city, Valletta, as evidenced by the dome and towers of St. John’s Co-Cathedral shown in the central background. Malta was a popular destination for artists in the 1870s and 1880s. Tiffany visited Malta during a six-month trip abroad from the end of July 1870 to the beginning of February 1871 with American painter Robert Swain Gifford (1840–1905).

As in this case, many of the oil paintings Tiffany created based on this trip consist of a large horizontal panorama peopled with small figures set against a distant backdrop of buildings. In these works, Tiffany focused on the atmospheric effects of light. And as throughout his career, he was in search of novel color effects. In this painting, the scene is immersed in the glow of a distant golden sunset. The interplay between light and shadow provides depth and perspective.

In the 1870s, Tiffany gained recognition as an artist. He was elected an associate member of the National Academy of Design at twenty-two. He also joined various professional organizations, including the American Watercolor Society and the Society of American Artists. During this period, he painted many canvases inspired by his travels.