Mattia Preti : architetto della Sacra Religione di Malta

Abstract

Mattia Preti was primarily known to the Catholic world of the seventeenth century as a prolific painter and, since 1700, much ink has been spilled concerning his rich legacy of paintings in Rome, Naples, Malta and elsewhere, remarkable for the sophistications of their composition and execution and for their potential of admirably adorning sacred and profane interiors in true baroque style. By contrast very little ink has been spilled and still less research work has been carried out, concerning what I consider to be Mattia Preti’s praiseworthy architectural skills, particularly evident during the 1660-1699 period when he was serving the Religion of Malta. One notable exception was a contribution by the twentieth-century art historian, Chev. Vincenzo Bonello who was the first person who was brave enough to contribute a brief but concise article entitled Mattia Preti, Architetto to the proceedings of the XV congresso di storia dell’architettura, held in Malta in September 1967 and published in Rome in 1970. In this paper, I shall attempt to highlight some references to Mattia Preti’s architectural formation and post-1660 activity as an architect by focusing on what is revealed in at least four quasi-contemporary printed sources, before discussing some case-studies of his architectural activity in Malta.