Malta will next year mark the fourth centenary of the birth of one of the greatest artists of all times – Mattia Preti.
Preti, Il Cavaliere Calabrese (the knight from Calabria), was born in the small town of Taverna, in Calabria, in 1613.
The artist, who in 1661 was made a knight of magistral obedience, was commissioned by Grand Master Martin de Redin to paint a new altarpiece for the chapel of the Aragonese Langue at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta.
The next Grand Master, Raphael Cotoner, asked him to decorate the entire vault of the church with scenes from the life of St John the Baptist, the Order’s patron saint.
Preti’s contribution to St John’s Co-Cathedral is immense, with his works adorning most of its interior.
Held as a great artist of the Baroque movement, Preti died in 1699 and is buried in St John’s Co-Cathedral.
The fourth centenary of Preti’s birth is being commemorated with the publication of two books by Miranda Publishers.
The first is a luxury, limited edition large format tome measuring 39 x 35cm with gold leaf edges, each with a numbered certificate of authenticity and hard bound in leather in a special leather-bound handmade box.
It has 224 pages and more than 120 photos. Besides showing the masterpieces in 19 different churches, the book also contains 360° photos of the inside views of the churches and chapels housing the masterpieces.
Featured are St John’s Co-Cathedral and six other churches in Valletta, and churches in Vittoriosa, Floriana, Lija, Luqa, Mdina, Rabat, Sliema, Żurrieq and Victoria. It also contains a separate book with text in Italian.
A smaller (24 x 30cm) edition of the book has also been published, containing 224 pages, with the same content as the luxury edition.
The books have been researched and written (in Italian) by renowned Italian restorers Sante Guido and Giuseppe Mantella and translated into English by art historian Theresa Vella.
As in most Miranda books published in the last 12 years, the photography has been entrusted to Enrico Formica.
Both publications are designed by Maria DeGabriele of Sense – San Paolo Services Ltd.
www.mirandabooks.com