A Maltese hagiography for Mattia Preti?

Abstract

In 1962, following a request by the Civic authorities of his hometown Taverna, the remains of the artist Mattia Preti were exhumed, examined and placed in a new coffin to be reburied in the same tomb. Authenticity of Preti’s burial site may have been the motive behind this initiative, intent on ensuring that the ledgerstone, inscription included, corresponds to the mortal remains which it covered (Fig. 1). The mortal remains were examined by forensic experts and art curators were also present. The need for authentication through exhumation is a Catholic requirement for the canonisation of saints. Indeed, the layers of significance which both the man and his works stood for might have made this process necessary. Understanding what these layers include and what they stood for is indeed complex.