MATTIA PRETI Mattia Preti is one of the main exponents AND GOZO OF MALTA IN THE CHURCHES HIS PAINTINGS PRETI – A GUIDE TO MATTIA of Italian and European art of the seventeenth century. He was born in Taverna, Calabria in 1613 and moved on to develop a personal artistic style which bore the influence of his masters Veronese, Tintoretto, Guercino, Lanfranco and Poussin. He enjoyed the patronage of influential families of the time, such as the Barberini, the Rospigliosi, the Pamphilj and the Ruffo of Calabria, and was made a knight of the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem and Malta. Preti moved to Mata in 1661 and remained on the island until his death in 1669. During his stay, he executed many paintings for the Order as well as several works for Maltese and Italian churches, and commissions for lay and private collectors. This pocket guide is intended as a locator of his major works in the churches of Malta and Gozo, providing concise information on the paintings, as well as the churches they are to be found in. The A GUIDE TO HIS sequence has been designed as an itinery that will facilitate touring the churches, according to their PAINTINGS geographical location. A thumbnail image of each painting is provided with its position on the plan of IN THE CHURCHES the church for ease of identification. OF MALTA AND GOZO Giuseppe Mantella Sante Guido Din l-Art Helwa 133, Melita Street, Valletta VLT 1123 Tel: 2122 5952 Tel/Fax: 2122 0358 [email protected] www.dinlarthelwa.org This project was made possible through the generous funding by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, in conjunction with the Small Initiatives Scheme and is not for sale..