Anonymous artist Situation des Malthais Satirical color engraving dated Prairial 24, Year 6 of the Republic (June 12, 1798), caricaturally illustrating Malta's surrender to French revolutionary forces. Two grotesque figures, with exaggerated features, exchange ironic remarks in phylacteries. One, with a demonic air, seems to represent a triumphant French revolutionary, while the other, with a morose, overwhelmed face, embodies a fallen knight of the Order of Malta. The caption refers to the submission of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta and his knights to the French Republic, symbolizing the end of this religious and military order's sovereignty over the Maltese archipelago. Creases and stains. Historical background: On June 10, 1798, Bonaparte's army invaded Malta during its expedition to Egypt. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem, which had governed the island since 1530, quickly surrendered to the French. The capture of Malta marked the effective end of the Order's temporal power, and the temporary integration of the archipelago into the territory of the French Republic. The event was viewed with irony and mockery by the revolutionaries, who depict it here in the form of a satirical caricature.