Mattia Preti

Mattia Preti ( born February 24, 1613 Taverna, Calabria, † January 3, 1699 in Valletta, Malta ) was an Italian painter of the Baroque frescoes and Knight of the Order of Malta, the Malta was mainly active. His masterpiece, the frescoes in the St. John 's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta. Because Preti came from the southern Italian Calabria, called him "Il Cavalliere Calabrese ".

Life

Mattia Preti was born in 1613 in Taverna (Calabria ). He initially worked in Naples, where he studied with Giovanni Battista Caracciolo. About 1630 he went to Rome and there came in contact with the Caravaggisti, painters in the tradition of Caravaggio. In Rome, he created 1650-1653 also some frescoes for the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle. In 1642 he became a Knight of the Malterserordens the rank of Magistralritters, although he was still living in Rome. His art skills he honed in the years 1653-1659 at Battistello in Naples. In 1659 he finally went to Malta due to the request of the Grand Master Martin de Redin ( 1657-1660 ). 1660, he went again for a short stay to Naples to complete the frescoes in the church of San Pietro di Maiella. Until his death, Preti was active in Malta, where he created a series of paintings for the " Galleria Ruffo in Messina " ( Gemäldegalerie Ruffo in Messina) ..

1661 then began painting in the St. John's Co - Cathedrale in Valletta and he finished his work in 1666 in this church. In the sacristy is a portrait of the master depends. In 1699 he died in Malta.

Work

As Preti main and masterpiece paintings are in this central church of Malta, which is then after all been the monastery church of Malterserordens. Above all, the magnificent and unique interior of the cathedral has been created by the artist. In these frescoes portraits of saints are seen, but also from some great masters of the Order of Malta, as Raphael Cottoner ( 1660-1663 ) and Nicolas Cottoner ( 1663-1680 ) and others. So you can Preti as a portrait painter, respectively. He also painted a significant showing the St. Francis Xavier and was created in 1659 in Malta.

His works include, among others located in the Museo Regionale di Messina paintings Madonna della Lettera and Cristo Deposto.